Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Stock

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) had its price objective hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $118.00 to $115.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $134.00 to $129.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 6th. BNP Paribas raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of J. M. Smucker to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.69.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE SJM opened at $112.8480 on Monday. J. M. Smucker has a 12-month low of $93.30 and a 12-month high of $125.42. The company has a market cap of $12.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.76, a P/E/G ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $105.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.29.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.06. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 15.20% and a negative net margin of 14.10%.The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. J. M. Smucker has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.500-9.500 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that J. M. Smucker will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.08. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is -38.06%.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In related news, Director Tarang Amin purchased 1,050 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $96.09 per share, with a total value of $100,894.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $367,544.25. This trade represents a 37.84% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 87.0% in the first quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 104.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.