Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. Makes New $1.32 Million Investment in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. bought a new stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,322,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 17,217 shares of the company's stock worth $2,176,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 23,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,956,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,844,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 163,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,620,000 after purchasing an additional 68,160 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of SJM traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $113.11. The stock had a trading volume of 1,031,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,260,441. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $107.33 and a 52 week high of $159.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -128.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.23. The company's fifty day moving average is $118.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.38.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.21 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is currently -481.81%.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total transaction of $399,264.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,192.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $132.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $137.47.

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.