Caption Management LLC Acquires 8,205 Shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG)

Caption Management LLC raised its holdings in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG - Free Report) by 356.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,505 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,205 shares during the quarter. Caption Management LLC's holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro were worth $697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 3,134 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro during the 4th quarter worth about $9,684,000. Caprock Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,046 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 112.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,226 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, Director Brian E. Sandoval sold 1,513 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.86, for a total value of $99,646.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $858,748.54. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 12,123 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.86, for a total value of $810,543.78. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,432,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $898,073,615.86. This trade represents a 0.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 25.37% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on SMG. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $72.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Truist Financial upgraded Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Scotts Miracle-Gro presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.50.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

NYSE SMG opened at $54.95 on Wednesday. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 52 week low of $45.61 and a 52 week high of $93.90. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $55.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -114.48 and a beta of 1.98.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.95 by $0.03. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative net margin of 0.67% and a negative return on equity of 51.48%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Scotts Miracle-Gro's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 528.00%.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Profile

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells products for lawn, garden care, and indoor and hydroponic gardening in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Consumer, Hawthorne, and Other. The company provides lawn care products, comprising lawn fertilizers, grass seed products, spreaders, and other durable products, as well as lawn-related weed, pest, and disease control products; and gardening and landscape products, which include water-soluble and continuous-release plant foods, potting mixes, garden soils, mulches and ground cover products, plant-related pest and disease control products, organic garden products, and live goods and seeding solutions.

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