Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 569,118 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $22,059,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.50% of SM Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SM. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in SM Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in SM Energy by 51.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 517.9% during the 4th 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 last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 46.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its holdings in SM Energy by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,237 shares of the energy company's stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on SM Energy from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of SM Energy from $62.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on SM Energy from $39.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, SM Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at SM Energy

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. bought 7,000 shares of SM Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

SM Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of SM traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $23.20. 842,800 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,876,835. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $2.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 3.75. The stock's 50-day moving average is $28.33 and its 200-day moving average is $37.04. SM Energy has a fifty-two week low of $19.67 and a fifty-two week high of $51.94.

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

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. SM Energy's payout ratio is currently 11.98%.

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.