5,400 Shares in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Acquired by Aurdan Capital Management LLC

Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $595,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value 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 approximately $1,503,493.68. This represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total transaction of $594,902.42. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,022,390.44. This trade represents a 36.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of SJM stock traded up $1.56 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $112.51. 815,739 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,164,290. The stock's fifty day moving average is $114.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.20. 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 52-week low of $98.77 and a 52-week high of $125.42. The stock has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.36.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Equities analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 3.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is presently -179.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $128.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.70.

About J. M. Smucker

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.