Metis Global Partners LLC Increases Holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,540 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in J. M. Smucker by 188.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SJM opened at $109.32 on Thursday. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12-month low of $98.77 and a 12-month high of $127.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $106.17 and a 200 day moving average of $112.99.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. On average, research analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.95%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is currently -179.25%.

Insider Activity

In other J. M. Smucker news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $112,322.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,116,942. This trade represents a 5.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on SJM. Barclays reduced their target price on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. TD Cowen downgraded J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.13.

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.