The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $70.3333.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SMG. UBS Group increased their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $61.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $75.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock opened at $62.32 on Friday. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a 12 month low of $45.61 and a 12 month high of $79.11. The company has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.75 and a beta of 1.95. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.62.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported ($1.96) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.88) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $387.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.75 million. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 67.74% and a net margin of 4.26%.The firm’s revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($2.31) earnings per share. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.150-4.350 EPS. Analysts predict that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 109.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Scotts Miracle-Gro

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 32.1% during the second quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 725 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.6% during the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.9% during the third quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 10,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.8% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $778,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 2.5% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 9,911 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $564,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.