Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 35.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,932 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,042 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.07% of J. M. Smucker worth $9,723,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SJM. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 2,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 284 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 77.1% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 409 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group increased its stake in J. M. Smucker by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 531 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SJM. Citigroup dropped their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $132.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $137.47.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of SJM stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $113.11. 1,031,316 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,260,441. The company's 50-day moving average price is $118.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.71. The company has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -128.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12 month low of $107.33 and a 12 month high of $159.45.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $2.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.21 EPS. J. M. Smucker's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -481.81%.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In other news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total transaction of $399,264.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,946 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,192.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

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.