Ruffer LLP Invests $728,000 in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Ruffer LLP acquired a new stake in SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 18,783 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $728,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV increased its position in SM Energy by 16.7% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,321 shares of the energy company's stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in SM Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 33,392 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,294,000 after buying an additional 556 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in SM Energy by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,746 shares of the energy company's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in SM Energy by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 24,739 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $959,000 after acquiring an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,237 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of SM Energy stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $474,591.76. This represents a 91.31 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on SM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Seven equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.00.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of SM traded up $0.77 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $29.84. The stock had a trading volume of 2,867,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,699,243. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 0.55. SM Energy has a 12 month low of $26.66 and a 12 month high of $53.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 4.14. The company's 50-day moving average is $37.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.51.

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

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy's payout ratio is 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.