SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 15,185,089 shares, an increase of 88.4% from the January 15th total of 8,061,182 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,554,514 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 13.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 13.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,554,514 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SM Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,748 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in SM Energy by 36.3% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,010 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of SM Energy by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. First National Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 4.8% during the third quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 12,604 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of SM Energy by 1.5% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 44,701 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Trading Up 2.1%

SM traded up $0.45 during trading on Friday, hitting $21.46. 6,429,865 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,540,398. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $17.45 and a 1 year high of $39.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $19.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.11. The firm has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SM. Mizuho set a $34.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a report on Friday, January 9th. Roth Mkm set a $28.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research cut shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on SM Energy from $30.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.20.

SM Energy Company Profile

SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM) is an independent energy firm engaged in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company focuses on identifying and exploiting unconventional onshore basins, leveraging advanced drilling and completion techniques to optimize resource recovery. SM Energy’s operations are supported by an integrated approach to reservoir management and strategic midstream partnerships, enabling efficient transportation and marketing of hydrocarbons.

The company’s core asset areas include prolific basins such as the Permian, Eagle Ford, and the Rocky Mountain region.