The J. M. Smucker Company Plans Quarterly Dividend of $1.06 (NYSE:SJM)

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 18th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of 1.06 per share on Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%.

J. M. Smucker has increased its dividend by an average of 5.3% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 26 consecutive years. J. M. Smucker has a dividend payout ratio of 39.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect J. M. Smucker to earn $10.19 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 41.6%.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of J. M. Smucker stock traded up $1.30 on Thursday, reaching $111.10. 1,179,627 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,269,706. The firm's 50 day moving average is $121.34 and its 200-day moving average is $120.70. J. M. Smucker has a one year low of $107.33 and a one year high of $159.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $11.80 billion, a PE ratio of -126.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.21.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.21. J. M. Smucker had a negative net margin of 1.24% and a positive return on equity of 14.29%. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that J. M. Smucker will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In other news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total value of $399,264.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,116,192.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of J. M. Smucker

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 1st quarter valued at about $212,000. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 1st quarter valued at about $204,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in J. M. Smucker by 57.5% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,263 shares of the company's stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 1st quarter valued at about $138,000. Finally, PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 2nd quarter valued at about $130,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $132.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $137.47.

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.