Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Purchases 63,863 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 925,082 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 63,863 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.87% of J. M. Smucker worth $116,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at $237,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in J. M. Smucker by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 7,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. First National Trust Co raised its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 2,110 shares of the company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 76,932 shares of the company's stock worth $9,723,000 after purchasing an additional 20,042 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 340.6% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 87,518 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,060,000 after purchasing an additional 67,654 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson assumed coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $132.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of 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. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $137.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J. M. Smucker news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of J. M. Smucker 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 transaction, the insider now 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 SEC, which is available through this link. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 1.7 %

SJM stock traded up $1.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $115.34. 851,181 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,213,256. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $118.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.68. The stock has a market cap of $12.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -131.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.23. The J. M. Smucker Company has a fifty-two week low of $107.33 and a fifty-two week high of $158.60.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 14.29% and a negative net margin of 1.24%. The business 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 company posted $2.21 earnings per share. J. M. Smucker's revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -481.81%.

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.