GAMMA Investing LLC Grows Position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,849 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,282 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,626,000 after buying an additional 1,449 shares during the last quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Farmers Trust Co. raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 1.5% during the third quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 9,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 0.5% during the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 19,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,158,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,938,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of J. M. Smucker stock opened at $117.21 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12-month low of $105.69 and a 12-month high of $134.62. The company has a market cap of $12.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.46, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.83.

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

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This is a positive change from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is currently 60.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of J. M. Smucker to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays decreased their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $121.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 30th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on J. M. Smucker from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $127.25.

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.