River Road Asset Management LLC Has $8.29 Million Position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

River Road Asset Management LLC lessened its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,657 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 0.06% of J. M. Smucker worth $8,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SJM. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Clear Street Markets LLC increased 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 2,266.7% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 0.2 %

SJM stock opened at $109.77 on Thursday. The J. M. Smucker Company has a twelve month low of $107.33 and a twelve month high of $159.92. 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’s 50 day moving average is $121.74 and its 200-day moving average is $120.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.66 billion, a PE ratio of -124.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.21.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.21. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 14.29% and a negative net margin of 1.24%. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is -481.81%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SJM shares. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. TD Cowen cut their price target on J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.47.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.