J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on SJM. DA Davidson cut their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $132.00 to $126.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Argus cut their price target on J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $132.00 to $123.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $132.64.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

J. M. Smucker stock opened at $109.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $111.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.90. J. M. Smucker has a 52-week low of $105.69 and a 52-week high of $153.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, June 6th. The company reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 9.10% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.64 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that J. M. Smucker will post 10.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.89%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.55%.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In other J. M. Smucker news, CEO Mark T. Smucker sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.16, for a total transaction of $1,101,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,757 shares in the company, valued at $8,675,871.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wolverine Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 2,266.7% during the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 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.