Short Interest in SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) Expands By 88.4%

SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM) saw a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 15,185,089 shares, a growth of 88.4% from the January 15th total of 8,061,182 shares. Approximately 13.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 7,554,514 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 7,554,514 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 13.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

SM Energy Price Performance

SM traded up $0.45 on Friday, reaching $21.46. 6,429,379 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,434,909. SM Energy has a twelve month low of $17.45 and a twelve month high of $39.99. The stock has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $19.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.21.

SM Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. SM Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 12.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp reduced their target price on SM Energy from $36.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Roth Mkm set a $28.00 price objective on shares of SM Energy in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. TD Cowen upgraded shares of SM Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of SM Energy from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of SM Energy from $30.00 to $23.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SM Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in SM Energy by 102.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,911 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of SM Energy by 245.0% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 72,016 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after acquiring an additional 51,140 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of SM Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,450,000. Bridgefront Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of SM Energy by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC now owns 13,160 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 3,336 shares during the period. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its position in SM Energy by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 166,554 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,115,000 after purchasing an additional 6,744 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.56% of the company’s stock.

About SM Energy

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.