SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Shares Acquired by Foundry Partners LLC

Foundry Partners LLC grew its position in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 20.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 195,761 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,601 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC owned approximately 0.17% of SM Energy worth $7,588,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in SM Energy by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,632,255 shares of the energy company's stock worth $179,546,000 after buying an additional 835,929 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $22,059,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in SM Energy by 214.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in SM Energy by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,682,093 shares of the energy company's stock worth $142,718,000 after acquiring an additional 296,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in SM Energy by 221.4% during the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 388,761 shares of the energy company's stock worth $15,068,000 after acquiring an additional 267,789 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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SM Energy Price Performance

NYSE:SM traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $20.78. 774,262 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,835,165. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The firm's 50-day moving average is $32.14 and its 200-day moving average is $38.56. The stock has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 3.75. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $18.88 and a 1-year high of $52.83.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. Equities research analysts expect that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Investors of record on Friday, April 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy's payout ratio is 11.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other SM Energy news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of SM Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $474,591.76. This represents a 91.31 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price objective on SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $48.00.

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.