Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM)

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 4,550 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 244% compared to the average daily volume of 1,324 call options.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

NYSE SJM traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $97.32. The company had a trading volume of 852,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,224,844. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.88. J. M. Smucker has a fifty-two week low of $93.93 and a fifty-two week high of $125.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $10.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.06. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that J. M. Smucker will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.44%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is currently -179.25%.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In related news, Director Tarang Amin acquired 1,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $96.09 per share, for a total transaction of $100,894.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,825 shares in the company, valued at $367,544.25. This represents a 37.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 stock was sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total transaction of $594,902.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at about $112,978,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 3,599.5% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 929,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $102,346,000 after purchasing an additional 904,278 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $64,125,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,078,892 shares of the company's stock valued at $118,808,000 after purchasing an additional 468,200 shares during the period. Finally, FIL Ltd raised its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 87.8% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 925,000 shares of the company's stock worth $101,861,000 after buying an additional 432,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SJM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $134.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 6th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $120.00 to $106.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $128.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $124.00 price target (up previously from $123.00) on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Friday, June 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $117.55.

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.