Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Reduces Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its holdings in SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 76.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 196,441 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 621,591 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $7,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in SM Energy by 3,434.5% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 3,897.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,439 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 1,403 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $83,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Trading Down 2.0 %

NYSE:SM opened at $43.24 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.04 and a beta of 4.14. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $34.90 and a 1 year high of $53.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $41.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.52.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The energy company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $643.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.67 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 33.89% and a return on equity of 19.62%. The firm’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.73 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that SM Energy will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. SM Energy’s payout ratio is 11.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SM shares. TD Cowen raised shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $64.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Mizuho lowered their target price on SM Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on SM Energy from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.90.

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.