Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Takes $666,000 Position in SM Energy (NYSE:SM)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of SM Energy (NYSE:SM) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 17,186 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $666,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in SM Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $311,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of SM Energy by 144.6% in 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 last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,746 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in SM Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $200,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in SM Energy by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 22,916 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. 94.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on SM shares. StockNews.com lowered SM Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Williams Trading set a $41.00 price target on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of SM Energy in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on SM Energy from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, SM Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Barton R. Brookman, Jr. purchased 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.36 per share, with a total value of $226,520.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 14,666 shares in the company, valued at $474,591.76. This represents a 91.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

SM Energy Stock Performance

SM stock opened at $27.41 on Tuesday. SM Energy has a 1-year low of $26.66 and a 1-year high of $53.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $38.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.70. The firm has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 4.14.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The energy company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $852.22 million during 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.98%.

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.