SG Americas Securities LLC Reduces Holdings in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its stake in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company by 67.0% in Q4, selling 28,396 shares and leaving it with 13,985 shares valued at about $816,000.
• Scotts reported Q4 EPS of -$0.77 (beating the -$1.04 estimate) with $354.4M in revenue, and set FY 2026 guidance of 4.150–4.35 EPS while analysts expect roughly 3.42 EPS for the current year.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.66 (annualized $2.64) for a 4.4% yield, but its payout ratio is an elevated 179.59%, raising questions about dividend sustainability.

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its stake in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG - Free Report) by 67.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,985 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 28,396 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro were worth $816,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,400 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 10,600 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,662 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 9,911 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 2,250 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. 74.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Price Performance

Shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock opened at $60.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.26 and a beta of 1.94. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 1 year low of $45.61 and a 1 year high of $72.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.38 and a 200 day moving average of $60.29.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.04) by $0.27. The business had revenue of $354.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $353.25 million. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 2.68% and a negative return on equity of 68.59%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.89) earnings per share. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Scotts Miracle-Gro's payout ratio is 179.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Scotts Miracle-Gro news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total value of $3,320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,167,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $874,331,362.40. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer bought 693 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $71.44 per share, with a total value of $49,507.92. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 15,370 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,098,032.80. The trade was a 4.72% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 24.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SMG has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group set a $67.00 price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.17.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Profile

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of consumer lawn and garden products. The firm serves both retail and professional customers through an array of branded offerings that include lawn fertilizers, grass seed, pest and disease control solutions, plant foods and specialty products for indoor and outdoor gardening. Its portfolio spans well-known names such as Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, Ortho® and various hydroponic and specialty garden brands.

Headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, the company traces its roots to O.M.

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