Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 9,935 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $659,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Scotts Miracle-Gro in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 516 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 68.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 621 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.07% of the company's stock.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

Shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $59.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,575,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 966,791. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a one year low of $45.61 and a one year high of $93.90. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $55.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.75. The stock has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -124.08 and a beta of 1.98.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.95 by $0.03. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative net margin of 0.67% and a negative return on equity of 51.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.69 earnings per share. Scotts Miracle-Gro's revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. Scotts Miracle-Gro's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 528.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SMG shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $78.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $65.83.

About Scotts Miracle-Gro

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells products for lawn, garden care, and indoor and hydroponic gardening in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Consumer, Hawthorne, and Other. The company provides lawn care products, comprising lawn fertilizers, grass seed products, spreaders, and other durable products, as well as lawn-related weed, pest, and disease control products; and gardening and landscape products, which include water-soluble and continuous-release plant foods, potting mixes, garden soils, mulches and ground cover products, plant-related pest and disease control products, organic garden products, and live goods and seeding solutions.