J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $115.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $118.00. Jefferies Financial Group's target price would suggest a potential upside of 19.54% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on SJM. Barclays decreased their price target on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $120.00 price target on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Tuesday. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $124.00 price objective (up previously from $123.00) on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Friday, June 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, J. M. Smucker has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $117.55.

J. M. Smucker Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of SJM traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $96.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,610,131 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,217,033. J. M. Smucker has a 52 week low of $93.93 and a 52 week high of $125.42. The stock has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. The company's fifty day moving average price is $112.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J. M. Smucker news, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the company'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 transaction of $594,902.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. This represents a 36.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 87.0% during the 1st quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.