Aspire Private Capital LLC Acquires New Stake in The J. M. Smucker Company $SJM

Key Points

• Aspire Private Capital LLC initiated a new position in J. M. Smucker, buying 9,480 shares worth about $914,000 in the first quarter.
• Institutional ownership of SJM remains high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 81.66% of the company; several firms also boosted their stakes significantly.
• Smucker beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.77 EPS on revenue of $2.27 billion, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus "Hold" with an average target price of $121.13.

Aspire Private Capital LLC acquired a new stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $914,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SJM. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 238.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,924,282 shares of the company's stock worth $383,834,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,559 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 6,854.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,527,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,505,991 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 797.4% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,401,173 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245,035 shares in the last quarter. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the third quarter valued at approximately $112,944,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $92,960,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on SJM shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Barclays boosted their price target on J. M. Smucker from $103.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $106.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Bank of America upped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $121.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 5,550 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.29, for a total transaction of $645,409.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,865,175.31. The trade was a 25.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 3,630 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.05, for a total transaction of $403,111.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 38,699 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,297,523.95. This trade represents a 8.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of SJM opened at $115.55 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The company's fifty day moving average price is $103.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.76. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1-year low of $88.25 and a 1-year high of $119.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.32 billion, a PE ratio of -88.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.27.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 9th. The company reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.64 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $2.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.26 billion. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 17.18% and a negative net margin of 1.53%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.31 EPS. J. M. Smucker has set its FY 2027 guidance at 9.750-10.250 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.96 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -338.46%.

J. M. Smucker Profile

The J. M. Smucker Company is a diversified food and beverage manufacturer and marketer known for a portfolio of well-established consumer brands. The company's main business activities include the production and distribution of fruit spreads, peanut butter, coffee and coffee filters, as well as pet food and pet snacks. Smucker's core product lines serve both retail and foodservice customers through grocery chains, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience outlets and e-commerce channels.

Among its leading brands are Smucker's® fruit spreads, Jif® peanut butter, Folgers® and Dunkin'® coffees, and Café Bustelo® coffee.

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