PDT Partners LLC Lowers Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

PDT Partners LLC lowered its stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 49.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,230 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 30,062 shares during the quarter. PDT Partners LLC's holdings in SM Energy were worth $1,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 51.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 517.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the energy company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 3,470 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,730 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $183,000 after buying an additional 1,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,854 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 1,533 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $39.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp reduced their target price on SM Energy from $60.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Seven 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.com, SM Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $44.00.

SM Energy Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE:SM traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $21.50. 1,258,582 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,917,900. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.76. SM Energy has a one year low of $19.67 and a one year high of $51.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. SM Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.20%.

Insider Transactions at SM Energy

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. acquired 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $474,591.76. This trade represents a 91.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.