SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Shares Sold by Voloridge Investment Management LLC

Voloridge Investment Management LLC lowered its position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 17.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,174,731 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 250,096 shares during the quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned about 1.03% of SM Energy worth $45,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,632,255 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $179,546,000 after buying an additional 835,929 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in SM Energy by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,683,131 shares of the energy company's stock worth $103,998,000 after acquiring an additional 767,779 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth $22,059,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in SM Energy by 214.7% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 519,302 shares of the energy company's stock worth $20,128,000 after acquiring an additional 354,297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in SM Energy by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,682,093 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $142,718,000 after purchasing an additional 296,601 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company's stock.

SM Energy Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE SM traded down $0.04 on Friday, hitting $23.14. 1,602,130 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,968,963. SM Energy has a fifty-two week low of $19.67 and a fifty-two week high of $50.77. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.07. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 2.17.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $844.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $814.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 50.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 8.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.20%.

Insider Activity at SM Energy

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of SM Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp lowered their price target on SM Energy from $60.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of SM Energy from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.92.

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.