Foster & Motley Inc. Sells 2,528 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Key Points

• Foster & Motley Inc. decreased its shareholding in The J. M. Smucker Company by 41.8%, selling 2,528 shares, leaving it with 3,522 shares valued at $417,000.
• The J. M. Smucker Company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.10 per share, representing a yield of 4.1% and a positive change from the previous $1.08.
• In recent earnings, J. M. Smucker reported an EPS of $2.31, exceeding expectations, despite a year-over-year revenue decline of 2.8%.

Foster & Motley Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 41.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,522 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,528 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.'s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SJM. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,734,305 shares of the company's stock valued at $411,222,000 after buying an additional 380,309 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in J. M. Smucker by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,609,952 shares of the company's stock worth $286,664,000 after acquiring an additional 58,231 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,415,023 shares of the company's stock valued at $265,942,000 after purchasing an additional 418,878 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,009,017 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,232,000 after purchasing an additional 33,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ariel Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 1,832,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,835,000 after purchasing an additional 201,576 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJM opened at $107.24 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $104.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.81. The J. M. Smucker Company has a one year low of $93.30 and a one year high of $125.42. The firm has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a PE ratio of -9.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.29 and a beta of 0.31.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 15.20% and a negative net margin of 14.10%. J. M. Smucker's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. 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 (DPR) is currently -38.06%.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In other J. M. Smucker news, Director Tarang Amin purchased 1,050 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $96.09 per share, for a total transaction of $100,894.50. Following the acquisition, 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $130.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $118.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $134.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $119.00 to $105.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $117.67.

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.

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