River Road Asset Management LLC Trims Holdings in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

River Road Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 19.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,838,975 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 439,770 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC owned about 1.58% of SM Energy worth $71,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SM. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 26,471 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 2,344 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 65.1% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 276,048 shares of the energy company's stock worth $10,689,000 after purchasing an additional 108,803 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 24,300 shares of the energy company's stock worth $940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $2,254,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 84.2% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 43,450 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,682,000 after purchasing an additional 19,861 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company's stock.

SM Energy Stock Down 2.0 %

SM stock traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $49.29. 1,375,876 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,594,909. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $25.03 and a 1-year high of $53.26. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $45.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.78. The company has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.17 and a beta of 4.20.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last announced 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. SM Energy had a net margin of 34.45% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The business had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $611.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.29 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that SM Energy will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SM. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of SM Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.29.

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.