The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $121.2143.

SJM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America raised J. M. Smucker from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SJM. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 991 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 1,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 4,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $455,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN increased its position in J. M. Smucker by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 1,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its position in J. M. Smucker by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 4,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE SJM opened at $95.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.52. J. M. Smucker has a one year low of $93.30 and a one year high of $120.76. The firm has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a PE ratio of -8.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 15.94% and a negative net margin of 14.07%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.61 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that J. M. Smucker will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is currently -37.32%.

About J. M. Smucker

The J. M. Smucker Company is a diversified food and beverage manufacturer and marketer known for a portfolio of well-established consumer brands. The company’s main business activities include the production and distribution of fruit spreads, peanut butter, coffee and coffee filters, as well as pet food and pet snacks. Smucker’s core product lines serve both retail and foodservice customers through grocery chains, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience outlets and e-commerce channels.

Among its leading brands are Smucker’s® fruit spreads, Jif® peanut butter, Folgers® and Dunkin’® coffees, and Café Bustelo® coffee.