The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Position Boosted by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 16.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 31,485 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,514 shares during the quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.'s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $3,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Utah Retirement Systems grew its position in J. M. Smucker by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 17,146 shares of the company's stock worth $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Wallace Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Wallace Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,135 shares of the company's stock worth $235,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,845 shares of the company's stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Mendel Money Management increased its position in J. M. Smucker by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 3,933 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC raised its stake in J. M. Smucker by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 967 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of SJM stock traded up $1.56 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $112.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 815,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,164,290. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business has a fifty day moving average of $114.36 and a 200-day moving average of $111.20. The J. M. Smucker Company has a twelve month low of $98.77 and a twelve month high of $125.42. The stock has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.24. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -179.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were 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 directly owns 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total transaction of $594,902.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SJM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 target price on the stock. 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 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup lowered 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 report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.70.

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.