Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 1,724 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,520 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,724 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $1,879,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SJM. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 6,703.1% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 159,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,433,000 after acquiring an additional 157,523 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 62.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,043,000 after buying an additional 9,250 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 127,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,915,000 after buying an additional 15,792 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 56,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,151,000 after buying an additional 11,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 1st quarter valued at about $554,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of SJM stock opened at $113.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.07, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.25. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52-week low of $105.69 and a 52-week high of $134.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company’s 50 day moving average is $116.42 and its 200 day moving average is $115.55.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.27. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.22% and a net margin of 8.77%. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.80%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is 61.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SJM. Citigroup decreased their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $138.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Bank of America reduced their target price on J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $127.09.

About J. M. Smucker

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.