Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) Upgraded to "Strong-Buy" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Scotts Miracle-Gro has been upgraded from a "hold" to a "strong-buy" rating by Zacks Research, signaling increased analyst confidence in the stock's potential performance.
• The company reported Q4 earnings exceeding expectations, with $2.59 EPS against a consensus estimate of $2.19, indicating strong operational performance despite a revenue decline.
• Scotts Miracle-Gro's stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $71.17, reflecting the varied outlook from different analysts.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Scotts Miracle-Gro's Q4 2025 earnings at ($1.38) EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.30 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at ($0.93) EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.03 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.22 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($1.18) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.14 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($0.80) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $4.25 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.63 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.68 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $70.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $80.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Scotts Miracle-Gro has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.17.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

Shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock traded down $0.12 on Thursday, hitting $62.11. The stock had a trading volume of 755,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,055,233. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $64.86 and a 200 day moving average of $60.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.72 and a beta of 1.97. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a twelve month low of $45.61 and a twelve month high of $93.90.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 1.54% and a negative return on equity of 60.46%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.31 EPS. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.500- EPS. Equities analysts expect that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 70,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.28, for a total transaction of $4,359,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,274,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $826,721,784.72. This trade represents a 0.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 25.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Scotts Miracle-Gro

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 477.9% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 549 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 454 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 479.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 562 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Scotts Miracle-Gro in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Profile

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells products for lawn, garden care, and indoor and hydroponic gardening in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Consumer, Hawthorne, and Other. The company provides lawn care products, comprising lawn fertilizers, grass seed products, spreaders, and other durable products, as well as lawn-related weed, pest, and disease control products; and gardening and landscape products, which include water-soluble and continuous-release plant foods, potting mixes, garden soils, mulches and ground cover products, plant-related pest and disease control products, organic garden products, and live goods and seeding solutions.