LSV Asset Management Grows Stock Holdings in SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM)

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in SM Energy by 37.9%, bringing their total shares to 462,291, valued at approximately $13.8 million.
• SM Energy reported a 25% year-over-year revenue increase with earnings per share of $1.50, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.23.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, translating to an annualized rate of $0.80 and a dividend yield of 2.9%.

LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 37.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 462,291 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 126,991 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned 0.40% of SM Energy worth $13,846,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 200.8% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 172.8% in the 1st quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in SM Energy by 80.7% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,520 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of SM Energy by 34.0% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,760 shares of the energy company's stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 955 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 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 buying an additional 1,854 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SM traded down $0.58 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.83. 2,182,706 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,303,695. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company's 50 day moving average price is $26.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.38. SM Energy Company has a 52 week low of $19.67 and a 52 week high of $47.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 2.29.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The energy company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.27. SM Energy had a net margin of 25.94% and a return on equity of 18.06%. The business had revenue of $792.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $792.58 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that SM Energy Company will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th were paid 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 was Friday, July 18th. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on SM. TD Cowen upgraded SM Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Raymond James Financial lowered SM Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho lifted their price target on SM Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.50.

SM Energy Company 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.