J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at BNP Paribas

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at BNP Paribas from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays dropped their target price on J. M. Smucker from $119.00 to $105.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $118.00 to $115.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $128.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $120.00 to $106.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $117.33.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SJM traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $104.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,533,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,312,264. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.06, a P/E/G ratio of 7.85 and a beta of 0.31. The business's 50 day moving average price is $106.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.71. J. M. Smucker has a fifty-two week low of $93.30 and a fifty-two week high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.06. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 15.20% and a negative net margin of 14.10%. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that J. M. Smucker will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J. M. Smucker news, Director Tarang Amin acquired 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $96.09 per share, with a total value of $100,894.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $367,544.25. This represents a 37.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 2.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,344,933 shares of the company's stock worth $1,469,544,000 after purchasing an additional 130,533 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,734,305 shares of the company's stock valued at $411,222,000 after buying an additional 380,309 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 8.6% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,623,254 shares of the company's stock worth $310,620,000 after buying an additional 208,231 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,609,952 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,664,000 after buying an additional 58,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,257,127 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,252,000 after buying an additional 248,110 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is 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.