SM Energy Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:SM)

SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 4,978 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 333% compared to the average volume of 1,149 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Commons Capital LLC purchased a new stake in SM Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $584,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy during the third quarter worth about $304,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the third quarter worth about $80,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in shares of SM Energy by 0.9% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 101,932 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,637,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in SM Energy by 198.9% during the 3rd quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,429,518 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $60,665,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,822 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

SM Energy Price Performance

Shares of SM stock traded down $0.28 on Friday, reaching $17.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,295,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,946,682. The company has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.07. SM Energy has a 12-month low of $17.45 and a 12-month high of $44.95. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

SM Energy (NYSE:SM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The energy company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.08. SM Energy had a return on equity of 16.67% and a net margin of 22.03%.The business had revenue of $811.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $838.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.62 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that SM Energy will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. SM Energy’s payout ratio is presently 12.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on SM shares. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of SM Energy from $36.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Roth Capital set a $28.00 target price on SM Energy in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Susquehanna cut their price target on SM Energy to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of SM Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded SM Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.55.

SM Energy Company 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.