The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Shares Bought by Exeter Financial LLC

Exeter Financial LLC grew its holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 44.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,955 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,775 shares during the period. Exeter Financial LLC's holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SJM. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 15,253 shares of the company's stock worth $1,680,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,723 shares of the company's stock worth $689,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its position in J. M. Smucker by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 136,999 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,086,000 after purchasing an additional 6,539 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,503,493.68. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total value of $594,902.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. This 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 corporate insiders.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

J. M. Smucker stock traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $112.10. 444,841 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,150,465. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $114.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.36. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. As a group, equities analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -179.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SJM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on 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. Wall Street Zen raised J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.70.

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.