Range Financial Group LLC Takes $833,000 Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 21,495 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $833,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,853 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in SM Energy by 7.0% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,843 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in SM Energy by 1.4% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 32,403 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in SM Energy by 16.7% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 461.9% during the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 590 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Stock Up 4.4 %

Shares of SM Energy stock traded up $1.79 on Tuesday, hitting $42.65. The company had a trading volume of 2,089,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,262,797. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $41.55 and a 200-day moving average of $42.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 3.52. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $34.76 and a twelve month high of $53.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.96 and a beta of 4.14.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.10. SM Energy had a net margin of 33.89% and a return on equity of 19.62%. The firm had revenue of $643.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $643.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.73 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on SM shares. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price objective (up from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $64.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of SM Energy from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price objective on SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, SM Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.64.

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.