D.A. Davidson & CO. Cuts Stock Holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

D.A. Davidson & CO. trimmed its stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,350 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,054 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $3,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in J. M. Smucker by 1,329.4% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on SJM. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $123.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total value of $112,322.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,116,942. This trade represents a 5.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

J. M. Smucker stock opened at $107.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $106.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.43 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12-month low of $98.77 and a 12-month high of $127.59.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $2.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business’s revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.59 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.89 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 87.45%.

J. M. Smucker Profile

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.