Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 221.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 388,761 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 267,789 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.34% of SM Energy worth $15,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of SM Energy by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 6,823 shares of the energy company's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA acquired a new position in SM Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $396,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 835,929 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its holdings in SM Energy by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 28,091 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in SM Energy by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 76,908 shares of the energy company's stock worth $2,981,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SM. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Williams Trading set a $41.00 target price on SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

SM Energy Trading Down 14.9 %

SM traded down $4.56 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $25.96. 2,612,469 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,798,734. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 3.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm's fifty day moving average is $33.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.22. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $25.36 and a 1-year high of $53.26.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.00 by ($0.09). SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. The business had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $849.44 million. Equities analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. SM Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.98%.

SM Energy 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.