Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $5.77 Million Stock Holdings in SM Energy Company $SM

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% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 192,565 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 102,619 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.17% of SM Energy worth $5,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SM. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in SM Energy by 42.2% in the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 405,332 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $12,140,000 after buying an additional 120,275 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd lifted its position in SM Energy by 32.7% during the 1st quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 8,631 shares of the energy company's stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 2,128 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth $18,910,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in SM Energy during the 1st quarter worth $743,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in SM Energy by 169.4% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,873,860 shares of the energy company's stock worth $56,122,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,397 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Price Performance

NYSE:SM traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.54. 1,619,334 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,086,045. SM Energy Company has a 12 month low of $19.67 and a 12 month high of $47.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $26.69 and a 200 day moving average of $27.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 2.29.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The energy company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.27. SM Energy had a net margin of 25.94% and a return on equity of 18.06%. 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 EPS. The company's revenue was up 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Monday, August 4th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of SM Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. TD Cowen raised shares of SM Energy to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of SM Energy from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, SM Energy currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.