Kenneth J. Knott Sells 16,000 Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Stock

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) SVP Kenneth J. Knott sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.28, for a total value of $804,480.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 114,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,756,808.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

SM Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of SM Energy stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $49.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,487,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,566,944. The firm has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.75 and a beta of 4.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $49.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.27. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $25.84 and a 12-month high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $611.35 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 31.80% and a return on equity of 20.10%. SM Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.29 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.6 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the first quarter worth $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of SM Energy by 509.7% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 567 shares of the energy company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in SM Energy by 54.9% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 581 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in SM Energy by 665.6% in the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 689 shares of the energy company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in SM Energy by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 990 shares of the energy company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of SM Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. KeyCorp raised their price objective on SM Energy from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Susquehanna upped their target price on SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of SM Energy from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.57.

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.

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