Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 85,213 Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its holdings in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM - Free Report) by 37.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 141,762 shares of the energy company's stock after selling 85,213 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.12% of SM Energy worth $5,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SM. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in SM Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $415,000. Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in SM Energy by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,206 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 232,523 shares of the energy company's stock worth $9,013,000 after buying an additional 14,644 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in SM Energy by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 12,214 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $473,000 after acquiring an additional 677 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in SM Energy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 42,920 shares of the energy company's stock worth $1,664,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at SM Energy

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. acquired 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Tuesday. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded SM Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Williams Trading set a $41.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, 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, March 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $48.00.

SM Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SM traded down $1.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.57. 2,272,327 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,704,874. SM Energy has a 52-week low of $26.66 and a 52-week high of $53.26. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a PE ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 4.14.

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

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. SM Energy's payout ratio is 11.98%.

SM Energy Company 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.