Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Sells 2,978 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 33.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,971 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,978 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SJM. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SJM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley started coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, J. M. Smucker has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $126.50.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $569,974.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,503,493.68. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE SJM traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $112.58. The stock had a trading volume of 219,441 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,228,914. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $114.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.29. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $98.77 and a 52 week high of $125.42. The company has a market capitalization of $11.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.36. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's payout ratio is -179.25%.

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.