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

Shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.00.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SMG shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. UBS Group set a $67.00 target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Scotts Miracle-Gro news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total value of $3,320,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 13,167,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $874,331,362.40. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Scotts Miracle-Gro

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 201.1% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. 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. boosted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 157.3% during the 3rd 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 grew its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 156.7% during the 3rd 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 owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

Scotts Miracle-Gro stock opened at $68.36 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.18. The company has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a PE ratio of 46.50 and a beta of 1.98. Scotts Miracle-Gro 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 data on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.04) by $0.27. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 68.59% and a net margin of 2.68%.The firm had revenue of $354.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $353.25 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.89) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 179.59%.

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.