Sabal Trust CO Reduces Position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Sabal Trust CO lessened its holdings in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 97.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,680 shares of the company's stock after selling 166,049 shares during the quarter. Sabal Trust CO's holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Clear Street Markets LLC boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 97.2% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 211 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J. M. Smucker news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,192.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of SJM stock traded down $1.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $117.22. 738,263 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,088,437. The company's 50-day moving average price is $124.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.51. The company has a market cap of $12.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -133.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.21. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12 month low of $107.33 and a 12 month high of $159.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

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

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is -481.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on SJM. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $132.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $137.20.

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.