BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $1.09 Million Stock Holdings in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its holdings in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 26.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,127 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 10,303 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in SM Energy were worth $1,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,632,255 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $179,546,000 after purchasing an additional 835,929 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 40.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,683,131 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $103,998,000 after purchasing an additional 767,779 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in SM Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $22,059,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 214.7% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 519,302 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $20,128,000 after purchasing an additional 354,297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,682,093 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $142,718,000 after purchasing an additional 296,601 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

SM Energy Stock Performance

NYSE SM opened at $23.71 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $25.06 and its 200-day moving average is $34.40. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $19.67 and a 12-month high of $50.77. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $2.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 2.17.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The energy company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.16. SM Energy had a net margin of 28.63% and a return on equity of 19.82%. The company had revenue of $844.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $814.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 50.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 18th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $39.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $60.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Seven investment 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.92.

Insider Activity

In other SM Energy news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474,591.76. This trade represents a 91.31% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy 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.