J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $111.85, but opened at $105.00. J. M. Smucker shares last traded at $96.43, with a volume of 2,238,811 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SJM shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. UBS Group cut their price target 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, June 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $123.00) on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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 research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $128.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $117.55.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 1.7%

The firm's 50-day moving average is $112.29 and its 200 day moving average is $110.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 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 last year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is presently -37.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In other 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 value of $594,902.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,022,390.44. This represents a 36.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Tarang Amin bought 1,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $96.09 per share, for a total transaction of $100,894.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of J. M. Smucker

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in 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 during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Company Profile

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.