Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Buys 267,789 Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 221.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 388,761 shares of the energy company’s stock after purchasing an additional 267,789 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.34% of SM Energy worth $15,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the third quarter worth $55,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $61,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $83,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in SM Energy by 51.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in SM Energy by 517.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 3,470 shares during the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. acquired 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $32.36 per share, for a total transaction of $226,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at $474,591.76. The trade was a 91.31 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:SM opened at $29.42 on Monday. SM Energy has a 1 year low of $26.66 and a 1 year high of $53.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The business’s 50-day moving average is $34.68 and its 200-day moving average is $39.41. The company has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 4.14.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $852.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $849.44 million. SM Energy had a return on equity of 19.82% and a net margin of 28.63%. Equities research analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 18th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SM shares. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price objective on SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of SM Energy from $59.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on SM Energy from $54.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $48.00.

SM Energy Company 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.