SM Energy Company $SM Stock Position Raised by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 896,332 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 35,031 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.78% of SM Energy worth $22,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in SM Energy by 8.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,585,624 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $114,503,000 after acquiring an additional 375,754 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 16.3% in the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,731,350 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $92,202,000 after purchasing an additional 524,105 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,710,106 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $66,979,000 after purchasing an additional 17,930 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 22.2% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,289,314 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $56,569,000 after purchasing an additional 415,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in SM Energy by 19.9% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,212,775 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $30,283,000 after purchasing an additional 201,704 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on SM. Susquehanna cut their target price on SM Energy from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on SM Energy from $35.00 to $29.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Stephens boosted their target price on SM Energy from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. TD Cowen raised SM Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Mizuho set a $34.00 price target on SM Energy in a report on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, SM Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.22.

Key SM Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting SM Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: SM priced an upsized private offering of $1.0 billion of 6.625% senior notes due 2034 at par, a lower coupon and longer maturity than the 2028 notes it plans to retire — this reduces future interest costs and extends debt maturities, which investors view favorably. SM ENERGY PRICES AN UPSIZED PRIVATE OFFERING OF $1.0 BILLION OF SENIOR NOTES DUE 2034
• Positive Sentiment: SM launched a cash tender offer to repurchase up to $750.0 million aggregate principal of 8.375% senior notes due 2028 (assumed from Civitas). Buying back higher‑coupon paper with new 2034 notes (and cash/borrowings) should materially lower coupon expense if executed. SM ENERGY COMPANY ANNOUNCES CASH TENDER OFFER FOR UP TO $750.0 MILLION
• Positive Sentiment: The initial private offering announcement (planned $750M) and subsequent upsizing to $1.0B signals strong investor demand for the new paper, which markets often read as validation of credit access. SM ENERGY ANNOUNCES PRIVATE OFFERING OF $750 MILLION OF SENIOR NOTES DUE 2034
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s earnings call emphasized cash generation, merger synergies and capital discipline — messaging that supports confidence in the company’s ability to pay down or refinance debt and to sustain shareholder value post‑merger. SM Energy Earnings Call Highlights Cash, Synergies, Discipline
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call option activity (a surge in calls) suggests speculative/hedged bullish interest from traders anticipating upside from the refinancing and merger synergies. (Market data report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces noting a portfolio shift and “bigger ambitions” post‑merger are being watched; these could be longer‑term positives but are not immediate earnings or cash‑flow movers. SM Energy Portfolio Shift Hints At Bigger Ambitions
• Negative Sentiment: Potential downsides: issuing ~$1.0B of new debt increases total debt headroom in the near term (even if higher‑coupon notes are repurchased only up to $750M), could pressure leverage/coverage metrics if full retirements aren’t achieved, and uses cash/credit lines during the transition — investors will watch tender offer take‑up and pro‑forma leverage closely. SM Energy Launches Senior Notes Offering and Tender Offer

SM Energy Price Performance

NYSE:SM opened at $24.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.69. SM Energy Company has a one year low of $17.45 and a one year high of $32.26. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $20.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.76. The stock has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 1.03.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The energy company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $704.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $764.40 million. SM Energy had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 13.47%. The business’s revenue was down 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.91 EPS. Analysts anticipate that SM Energy Company will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a positive change from SM Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.16%.

SM Energy Profile

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.