BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Purchases 12,656 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 1,145.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,761 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,656 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $1,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SJM. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 660 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,731 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Mendel Money Management boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 3,933 shares of the company's stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Code Waechter LLC grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 5,023 shares of the company's stock valued at $553,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

SJM stock traded down $1.17 during trading on Monday, reaching $114.06. 244,658 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,170,763. The company has a market capitalization of $12.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $113.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.73. The J. M. Smucker Company has a twelve month low of $98.77 and a twelve month high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.24. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -179.25%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $569,974.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. This represents a 27.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total value of $594,902.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,022,390.44. This trade represents a 36.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on SJM shares. UBS Group began coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson cut their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $126.50.

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.