Ethic Inc. Boosts Stake in The J. M. Smucker Company $SJM

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company by 8.7%, now owning 43,742 shares worth approximately $5.18 million.
• The J. M. Smucker Company recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.10 per share, representing a yield of 4.0%.
• Analysts have given the stock an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $117.67, despite some recent price objective decreases from various firms.

Ethic Inc. raised its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 8.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 43,742 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,513 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $5,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 8.6% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,623,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $310,620,000 after buying an additional 208,231 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 12.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,257,127 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,252,000 after buying an additional 248,110 shares during the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 1,832,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,835,000 after buying an additional 201,576 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,627,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $179,186,000 after buying an additional 89,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 48.4% during the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,379,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $163,325,000 after buying an additional 449,920 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Tarang Amin acquired 1,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $96.09 per share, for a total transaction of $100,894.50. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,825 shares in the company, valued at $367,544.25. This trade represents a 37.84% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.24% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of SJM traded up $0.6610 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $112.1310. The stock had a trading volume of 2,177,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,544,823. The firm has a market cap of $11.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.70, a PEG ratio of 8.89 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $104.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $93.30 and a 52 week high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 15.20% and a negative net margin of 14.10%.The business's revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. J. M. Smucker has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.500-9.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SJM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on J. M. Smucker from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group raised J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the company from $118.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Bank of America lifted their price target on J. M. Smucker from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $134.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on J. M. Smucker from $128.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.83.

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.