The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $127.25.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $121.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Argus cut their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $138.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SJM. Studio Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 212.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Central Valley Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

SJM stock opened at $118.97 on Tuesday. J. M. Smucker has a 1 year low of $105.69 and a 1 year high of $134.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $116.14.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.13 billion. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 14.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that J. M. Smucker will post 9.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is an increase from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is 60.67%.

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.