The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Shares Purchased by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 9.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 528,615 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 43,663 shares during the period. J. M. Smucker comprises approximately 1.0% of Vest Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.50% of J. M. Smucker worth $62,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 324,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,721,000 after acquiring an additional 11,339 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,302 shares of the company's stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 73,222 shares of the company's stock worth $8,100,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 17,471 shares of the company's stock worth $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 4,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,365.5% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 425 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on SJM shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group reduced their target price 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, J. M. Smucker has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $125.30.

J. M. Smucker Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:SJM traded down $0.42 on Friday, hitting $110.62. 1,532,504 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,141,383. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $98.77 and a 52 week high of $125.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.58. The company's 50-day moving average price is $114.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.25.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -179.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total value of $594,902.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $569,974.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

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.