Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. Purchases 5,713 Shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its position in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 225,991 shares of the energy company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,713 shares during the period. SM Energy makes up approximately 1.2% of Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.’s holdings in SM Energy were worth $8,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in SM Energy by 59.7% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 990 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of SM Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in SM Energy by 294.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,064 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 3,772.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the period. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

SM Energy Trading Down 4.6 %

NYSE:SM traded down $2.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $48.49. 2,109,111 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,572,301. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.21 and a beta of 4.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.59 and its 200-day moving average is $41.44. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $25.03 and a 12-month high of $53.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The energy company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.17. SM Energy had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 34.45%. The firm had revenue of $608.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.29 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that SM Energy will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

SM Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SM. Seaport Res Ptn raised SM Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of SM Energy from $42.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of SM Energy from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of SM Energy from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on SM Energy from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.57.

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.