Private Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,200 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Private Capital Management LLC lifted its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 31.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,038 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Private Capital Management LLC’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJM opened at $110.51 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $114.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The J. M. Smucker Company has a fifty-two week low of $98.77 and a fifty-two week high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -179.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total value of $594,902.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,022,390.44. This trade represents a 36.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $569,974.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,503,493.68. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SJM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $123.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $126.50.

J. M. Smucker Company 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.