Stifel Nicolaus Lowers J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Price Target to $120.00

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) had its price target lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $125.00 to $120.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the stock.

SJM has been the topic of a number of other reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Barclays decreased their target price on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $123.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.78.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE SJM opened at $103.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.58. J. M. Smucker has a 52 week low of $99.81 and a 52 week high of $134.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $110.50 and a 200-day moving average of $115.22.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.25. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The firm had revenue of $2.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.59 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that J. M. Smucker will post 9.89 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.17%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is 87.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $112,322.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,116,942. This trade represents a 5.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SJM. State Street Corp lifted its position in J. M. Smucker by 12.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,111,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $861,145,000 after purchasing an additional 762,746 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,353,996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $406,169,000 after purchasing an additional 958,142 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,361,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,082,000 after buying an additional 192,748 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 1.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 990,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,966,000 after buying an additional 13,276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 703,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,251,000 after purchasing an additional 31,745 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.