CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Trims Holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co decreased its position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 28.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,925 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,756 shares during the quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned 0.07% of J. M. Smucker worth $8,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank lifted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,365.5% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 425 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE SJM traded down $0.53 during trading on Friday, hitting $115.16. 788,743 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,174,407. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $113.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.73. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1 year low of $98.77 and a 1 year high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. On average, equities analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 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 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is presently -179.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SJM. Morgan Stanley started coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. TD Cowen cut J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reduced their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $126.50.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

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

J. M. Smucker 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.