Wall Street Zen Downgrades J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded J.M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) from a "Buy" to a "Hold"; the stock's consensus among analysts is currently a "Hold" with a consensus price target of $119.43 (8 Buys, 9 Holds, 1 Sell).
• SJM beat the quarter's estimates—EPS $2.38 vs. $2.27 expected and revenue $2.34B, up 7% year-over-year—but still reported a negative net margin of 14.07% and a negative P/E (−9.44), reflecting mixed profitability despite top-line growth.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Sunday.

SJM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup restated a "hold" rating on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on J. M. Smucker from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on J. M. Smucker from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $119.43.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

NYSE:SJM opened at $111.30 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $105.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.42. J. M. Smucker has a 1-year low of $93.30 and a 1-year high of $121.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 0.22.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.11. J. M. Smucker had a negative net margin of 14.07% and a positive return on equity of 15.94%. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.61 EPS. J. M. Smucker's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that J. M. Smucker will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 68.1% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 311 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

About J. M. Smucker

The J. M. Smucker Company is a diversified food and beverage manufacturer and marketer known for a portfolio of well-established consumer brands. The company's main business activities include the production and distribution of fruit spreads, peanut butter, coffee and coffee filters, as well as pet food and pet snacks. Smucker's core product lines serve both retail and foodservice customers through grocery chains, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience outlets and e-commerce channels.

Among its leading brands are Smucker's® fruit spreads, Jif® peanut butter, Folgers® and Dunkin'® coffees, and Café Bustelo® coffee.

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