Short Interest in SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SD) Declines By 21.5%

SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE:SD) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,281,979 shares, a decline of 21.5% from the February 26th total of 1,632,372 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 462,886 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

SandRidge Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SD traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $17.01. The company had a trading volume of 461,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 382,516. The company has a market capitalization of $626.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.95 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.34. SandRidge Energy has a 12-month low of $8.81 and a 12-month high of $18.45.

SandRidge Energy (NYSE:SD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The oil and natural gas company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). SandRidge Energy had a net margin of 44.90% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The company had revenue of $39.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.70 million.

SandRidge Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. SandRidge Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 25.26%.

Institutional Trading of SandRidge Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec lifted its holdings in shares of SandRidge Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 98,080 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in SandRidge Energy by 1.5% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 59,816 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 907 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in SandRidge Energy by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 11,867 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 994 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in SandRidge Energy by 11.1% in the third quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,000 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in SandRidge Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 26,003 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,199 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of SandRidge Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered SandRidge Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Freedom Capital cut SandRidge Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SandRidge Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

SandRidge Energy Company Profile

SandRidge Energy, Inc (NYSE: SD) is an independent exploration and production company focused on the development of onshore oil and natural gas resources in the United States. The company concentrates its operations primarily in the Anadarko Basin, applying horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing techniques to exploit unconventional reservoirs. SandRidge’s asset portfolio includes both crude oil and natural gas liquids, complemented by associated gas production, with infrastructure investments designed to optimize midstream availability and enhance capital efficiency.

Founded in 2006 by industry veteran Tom L.