The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SJM shares. StockNews.com upgraded J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 price target on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price target on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

SJM stock traded up $0.17 on Wednesday, hitting $111.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 166,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,168,174. The stock has a market cap of $11.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.36. J. M. Smucker has a 1 year low of $98.77 and a 1 year high of $125.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $114.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is currently -179.25%.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,344,933 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,469,544,000 after purchasing an additional 130,533 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,734,305 shares of the company's stock worth $411,222,000 after purchasing an additional 380,309 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,609,952 shares of the company's stock worth $286,664,000 after purchasing an additional 58,231 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,415,023 shares of the company's stock worth $265,942,000 after purchasing an additional 418,878 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,009,017 shares of the company's stock worth $221,232,000 after purchasing an additional 33,758 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.