The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Receives $127.25 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $127.25.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SJM shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on J. M. Smucker from $135.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. StockNews.com lowered J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Argus reduced their target price on J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 13th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $138.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 29th.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:SJM opened at $119.87 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.24. J. M. Smucker has a one year low of $105.69 and a one year high of $134.62. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.55.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.27. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 14.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.21 earnings per share. J. M. Smucker’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that J. M. Smucker will post 9.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This is an increase from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SJM. Boston Partners bought a new position in J. M. Smucker during the first quarter worth about $364,990,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 21,858.1% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 680,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,027,000 after buying an additional 677,600 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 186.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 805,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,195,000 after buying an additional 523,803 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,471,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,702,515,000 after buying an additional 518,433 shares during the period. Finally, Ariel Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 56.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 1,354,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,749,000 after buying an additional 486,624 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About J. M. Smucker

The J. M. Smucker Company manufactures and markets branded food and beverage products worldwide. It operates in three segments: U.S. Retail Pet Foods, U.S. Retail Coffee, and U.S. Retail Consumer Foods. The company offers mainstream roast, ground, single serve, and premium coffee; peanut butter and specialty spreads; fruit spreads, toppings, and syrups; jelly products; nut mix products; shortening and oils; frozen sandwiches and snacks; pet food and pet snacks; and foodservice hot beverage, foodservice portion control, and flour products, as well as dog and cat food, frozen handheld products, juices and beverages, and baking mixes and ingredients.