Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) Stock

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $70.00 to $79.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target indicates a potential upside of 14.58% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.50.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

SMG traded down $1.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $68.95. The company had a trading volume of 223,824 shares, compared to its average volume of 866,583. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $64.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.80. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a 12-month low of $45.61 and a 12-month high of $72.35. The stock has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a PE ratio of 46.90 and a beta of 1.98.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.04) by $0.27. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 68.59% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business had revenue of $354.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.89) earnings per share. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In other Scotts Miracle-Gro news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total value of $3,320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 13,167,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $874,331,362.40. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer acquired 693 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $71.44 per share, for a total transaction of $49,507.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,098,032.80. This represents a 4.72% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Scotts Miracle-Gro

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SMG. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 12,034.5% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,008,623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $66,529,000 after buying an additional 1,000,311 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 458.7% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 822,743 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $54,268,000 after acquiring an additional 675,493 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 362.8% during the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 737,546 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,036,000 after purchasing an additional 578,174 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the fourth quarter worth about $32,595,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 163.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 899,690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,344,000 after purchasing an additional 557,647 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

About Scotts Miracle-Gro

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of consumer lawn and garden products. The firm serves both retail and professional customers through an array of branded offerings that include lawn fertilizers, grass seed, pest and disease control solutions, plant foods and specialty products for indoor and outdoor gardening. Its portfolio spans well-known names such as Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, Ortho® and various hydroponic and specialty garden brands.

Headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, the company traces its roots to O.M.