Northern Trust Corp Raises Stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,449,483 shares of the energy company's stock after acquiring an additional 140,228 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.27% of SM Energy worth $56,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,632,255 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $179,546,000 after acquiring an additional 835,929 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in SM Energy by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,683,131 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $103,998,000 after buying an additional 767,779 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in SM Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,059,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in SM Energy by 214.7% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 519,302 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $20,128,000 after acquiring an additional 354,297 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of SM Energy by 8.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 296,601 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. acquired 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31 % increase in their position. The transaction 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.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SM Energy stock traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $23.15. 1,756,346 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,944,387. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.29. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $19.67 and a 12 month high of $51.22.

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

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on SM Energy from $39.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Raymond James lowered their target price on SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $44.00.

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.