Brokerages Set The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) PT at $137.20

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $137.20.

SJM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays lifted their target price on J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup cut their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, DA Davidson began coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $132.00 price objective for the company.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SJM opened at $115.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -131.75, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.21. J. M. Smucker has a 12-month low of $107.33 and a 12-month high of $159.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.22 billion. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 14.29% and a negative net margin of 1.24%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.21 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that J. M. Smucker will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.66%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -481.81%.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total transaction of $399,264.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,946 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,192.42. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SJM. Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. West Tower Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.