J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Barclays dropped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen downgraded J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.00.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of SJM opened at $111.68 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $106.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.72. J. M. Smucker has a 52-week low of $98.77 and a 52-week high of $127.59. The firm has a market cap of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.61, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its earnings results 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. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. Analysts forecast that J. M. Smucker will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.87%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is -179.25%.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total value of $112,322.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,116,942. This represents a 5.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SJM. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 188.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.