Lazard Asset Management LLC Lowers Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 48.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,700 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 10,850 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in SM Energy were worth $452,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 51.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 517.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 3,470 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 64.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,730 shares of the energy company's stock worth $183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,854 shares of the energy company's stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SM has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp reduced their price target on SM Energy from $60.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James reduced their target price on SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho reduced their target price on SM Energy from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.92.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $474,591.76. This represents a 91.31% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

SM Energy Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of SM Energy stock traded up $0.61 on Tuesday, reaching $23.78. 1,724,677 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,970,547. The company has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 2.17. SM Energy has a 52 week low of $19.67 and a 52 week high of $50.77. The firm's 50-day moving average is $24.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.16. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. The company had revenue of $844.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. SM Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 50.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy's payout ratio is 11.20%.

SM Energy Profile

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.