SM Energy (NYSE:SM) Shares Gap Down on Insider Selling

SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock had previously closed at $36.46, but opened at $35.29. SM Energy shares last traded at $36.0120, with a volume of 325,122 shares trading hands.

Specifically, EVP James Barker Lebeck sold 17,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.02, for a total value of $647,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $544,379.10. This represents a 54.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $30.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on SM Energy from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Truist Financial increased their price target on SM Energy from $37.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.93.

SM Energy Trading Down 1.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.09 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $30.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.99.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The energy company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.02 billion. SM Energy had a net margin of 18.20% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 215.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that SM Energy Company will post 7.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. SM Energy’s payout ratio is presently 17.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. grew its position in SM Energy by 160.5% during the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,347 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in SM Energy by 10,461.5% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,373 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC raised its position in SM Energy by 4,561.1% in the first quarter. Torren Management LLC now owns 839 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SM Energy

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.