Insider Selling: Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) Director Sells $3,320,000.00 in Stock

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 13,167,641 shares in the company, valued at $874,331,362.40. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:SMG opened at $68.36 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $61.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.14. The company has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a PE ratio of 46.50 and a beta of 1.98. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a fifty-two week low of $45.61 and a fifty-two week high of $70.67.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $354.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.25 million. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 2.68% and a negative return on equity of 68.59%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.89) earnings per share. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio is presently 179.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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 note on Wednesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $67.00 price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Scotts Miracle-Gro

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 201.1% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 157.3% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 156.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the period. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Profile

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.