SM Energy Company $SM Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in SM Energy Company by 114.1%, owning approximately 192,565 shares valued at about $5.77 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• SM Energy reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, beating analysts' expectations and showing a revenue increase of 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company's board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.1%, reflecting a payout ratio of 11.30%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 114.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 192,565 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 102,619 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.17% of SM Energy worth $5,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its position in SM Energy by 172.8% during the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the energy company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in SM Energy by 80.7% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,520 shares of the energy company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 955 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company's stock.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SM opened at $25.51 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $26.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a PE ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 2.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. SM Energy Company has a 52-week low of $19.67 and a 52-week high of $47.69.

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

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 18th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SM shares. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. TD Cowen raised shares of SM Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Monday, June 16th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of SM Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" 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.

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