Meritage Portfolio Management Acquires 1,423 Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Meritage Portfolio Management raised its position in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,876 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 1,423 shares during the quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $499,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 47.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 250,218 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $10,002,000 after purchasing an additional 80,343 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $259,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 79.2% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 65,421 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,615,000 after acquiring an additional 28,920 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,048,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 144.6% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 22,357 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $894,000 after acquiring an additional 13,215 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen upgraded SM Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $64.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. KeyCorp cut their price objective on SM Energy from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on SM Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.90.

SM Energy Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of SM opened at $37.21 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 4.11. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $36.11 and a 1 year high of $53.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.24. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.17%.

About SM Energy

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.