Exeter Financial LLC Acquires 2,775 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

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

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of SJM. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 324,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,721,000 after buying an additional 11,339 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,302 shares of the company's stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 15,253 shares of the company's stock worth $1,680,000 after buying an additional 3,550 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 73,222 shares of the company's stock worth $8,100,000 after buying an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 17,471 shares of the company's stock worth $1,924,000 after buying an additional 4,960 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SJM shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $128.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. One research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $125.70.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of SJM traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $112.45. 182,370 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,204,177. The company has a market capitalization of $11.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.23. The J. M. Smucker Company has a one year low of $98.77 and a one year high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -179.25%.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In other news, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of J. M. Smucker 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $569,974.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.