J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Upgraded to Hold by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a neutral rating and a $132.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, J. M. Smucker currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $137.47.

J. M. Smucker Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:SJM opened at $114.65 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $119.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. J. M. Smucker has a fifty-two week low of $107.33 and a fifty-two week high of $159.92.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. J. M. Smucker had a negative net margin of 1.24% and a positive return on equity of 14.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that J. M. Smucker will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is currently -481.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J. M. Smucker news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total transaction of $399,264.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,946 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,192.42. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the third quarter valued at approximately $464,000. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 15.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 277,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,103,000 after buying an additional 36,296 shares during the period. Ardevora Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,147,000. Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 58.3% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 238,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,085,000 after buying an additional 87,682 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the third quarter worth approximately $5,522,000. Hedge funds and other 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.