Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) Stock

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) had its target price raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $70.00 to $79.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.53% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.50.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE SMG opened at $68.98 on Tuesday. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a 1 year low of $45.61 and a 1 year high of $72.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.92. The company has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.93 and a beta of 1.96.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.04) by $0.27. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 2.68% and a negative return on equity of 68.59%. The firm had revenue of $354.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.89) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Scotts Miracle-Gro news, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer purchased 693 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $71.44 per share, for a total transaction of $49,507.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 15,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,098,032.80. This trade represents a 4.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $874,331,362.40. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Scotts Miracle-Gro

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 32.1% during the second quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 725 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 4,690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.6% in the third quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $706,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.9% in the third quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 10,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.8% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $778,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

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.