Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. Sells 34,949 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company $SJM

Key Points

• Speece Thorson Capital Group reduced its position in The J. M. Smucker Company by 21.3%, having sold 34,949 shares in Q4 and now holding 129,299 shares valued at about $12,647,000 (≈0.12% of SJM and 2.7% of the firm’s portfolio).
• Smucker beat EPS estimates in the most recent quarter ($2.38 vs. $2.27) with revenue up 7% to $2.34 billion, though the company still reported a negative net margin (-14.07%) and a negative P/E (-8.15).
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share (4.6% yield), while analysts remain mixed — the consensus average rating is "Hold" with a $117.25 target amid several upgrades and target revisions.

Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. reduced its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 21.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 129,299 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,949 shares during the period. J. M. Smucker accounts for approximately 2.7% of Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of J. M. Smucker worth $12,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SJM. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE SJM opened at $96.04 on Friday. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12 month low of $88.25 and a 12 month high of $119.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.15, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a 50-day moving average of $101.64 and a 200-day moving average of $102.60.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.11. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 15.94% and a negative net margin of 14.07%.The company had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.61 earnings per share. J. M. Smucker's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. J. M. Smucker's payout ratio is presently -37.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SJM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America upgraded J. M. Smucker from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised J. M. Smucker from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $121.00 to $145.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on J. M. Smucker from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on J. M. Smucker from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $117.25.

J. M. Smucker Profile

The J. M. Smucker Company is a diversified food and beverage manufacturer and marketer known for a portfolio of well-established consumer brands. The company's main business activities include the production and distribution of fruit spreads, peanut butter, coffee and coffee filters, as well as pet food and pet snacks. Smucker's core product lines serve both retail and foodservice customers through grocery chains, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience outlets and e-commerce channels.

Among its leading brands are Smucker's® fruit spreads, Jif® peanut butter, Folgers® and Dunkin'® coffees, and Café Bustelo® coffee.

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