The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $127.25.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. BNP Paribas raised shares of J. M. Smucker to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $121.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on J. M. Smucker from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on J. M. Smucker from $138.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 29th.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of SJM opened at $121.19 on Friday. J. M. Smucker has a fifty-two week low of $105.69 and a fifty-two week high of $143.75. The company’s fifty day moving average is $116.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.51. The firm has a market cap of $12.87 billion, a PE ratio of 17.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.13 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.22% and a net margin of 8.77%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that J. M. Smucker will post 9.84 earnings per share for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This is a positive change from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CEO Mark T. Smucker sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.16, for a total transaction of $1,101,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 78,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,675,871.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,002,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in J. M. Smucker by 2.9% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,714,000 after buying an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $491,000. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 212.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alethea Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $446,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About J. M. Smucker

The J. M. Smucker Company manufactures and markets branded food and beverage products worldwide. It operates in three segments: U.S. Retail Pet Foods, U.S. Retail Coffee, and U.S. Retail Consumer Foods. The company offers mainstream roast, ground, single serve, and premium coffee; peanut butter and specialty spreads; fruit spreads, toppings, and syrups; jelly products; nut mix products; shortening and oils; frozen sandwiches and snacks; pet food and pet snacks; and foodservice hot beverage, foodservice portion control, and flour products, as well as dog and cat food, frozen handheld products, juices and beverages, and baking mixes and ingredients.