SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) Shares Sold by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management GmbH reduced its stake in SM Energy by 78.2%, holding 41,376 shares worth approximately $1.24 million after selling 148,837 shares during the first quarter.
• Institutional investors now own 94.56% of SM Energy, with other notable investors including the New York State Common Retirement Fund and First Trust Advisors, which significantly increased their holdings.
• Analyst ratings for SM Energy show a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $42.33, though ratings vary from sell to strong buy among analysts.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH trimmed its holdings in shares of SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 78.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,376 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 148,837 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH's holdings in SM Energy were worth $1,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SM. LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 80.7% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 47,333 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,835,000 after acquiring an additional 21,140 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 6,823 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in SM Energy by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 6,975 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in SM Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $2,108,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 195,761 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $7,588,000 after buying an additional 33,601 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company's stock.

SM Energy Stock Performance

SM Energy stock traded down $0.96 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $26.63. 3,399,044 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,946,672. SM Energy Company has a 1 year low of $19.67 and a 1 year high of $47.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 2.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $26.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.72.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The energy company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.27. SM Energy had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 25.94%. The firm had revenue of $792.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $792.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. SM Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that SM Energy Company will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of SM Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of SM Energy from $60.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Stephens reduced their price target on SM Energy from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on SM Energy from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on SM Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.50.

About SM Energy

SM Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, gas, and natural gas liquids in the state of Texas. It has working interests in oil and gas producing wells in the Midland Basin and South Texas. The company was formerly known as St.