Principal Street Partners LLC Purchases 7,186 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Principal Street Partners LLC increased its holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 20.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,639 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,186 shares during the quarter. J. M. Smucker accounts for 1.3% of Principal Street Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Principal Street Partners LLC's holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $5,262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 487.5% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,459,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,961,000 after buying an additional 1,210,837 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 363.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,274,015 shares of the company's stock worth $160,258,000 after acquiring an additional 999,315 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in J. M. Smucker by 12,722.3% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 334,022 shares of the company's stock worth $42,214,000 after buying an additional 331,417 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in J. M. Smucker by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 646,827 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,501,000 after purchasing an additional 157,443 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,777,750 shares of the company's stock worth $218,503,000 after buying an additional 151,389 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of J. M. Smucker stock traded up $1.93 during trading on Friday, hitting $115.34. 851,181 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,213,256. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1-year low of $107.33 and a 1-year high of $158.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -131.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $118.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $2.23 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is presently -481.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. DA Davidson began coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $132.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $137.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.