Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Acquires 153 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 14,066 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $1,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 97.2% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 2,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJM opened at $109.99 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a PE ratio of -124.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $122.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.84. The J. M. Smucker Company has a twelve month low of $107.33 and a twelve month high of $159.92.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. J. M. Smucker had a negative net margin of 1.24% and a positive return on equity of 14.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.21 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is -481.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on SJM shares. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Barclays upped their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup decreased their price target on J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $132.00 price objective on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $137.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total value of $399,264.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,116,192.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

J. M. Smucker 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.