Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Takes Position in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,158,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 400.9% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 64,540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,162,000 after acquiring an additional 51,656 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 18,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,167,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Carmignac Gestion purchased a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro during the fourth quarter valued at $3,411,000. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 30,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,944,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,183,932 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $139,226,000 after acquiring an additional 25,863 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SMG shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Stephen L. Johnson sold 960 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.95, for a total value of $74,832.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,940 shares in the company, valued at $1,788,173. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Scotts Miracle-Gro news, Director Stephen L. Johnson sold 960 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.95, for a total transaction of $74,832.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 22,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,788,173. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Nathan Eric Baxter sold 2,988 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.93, for a total value of $211,938.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 37,920 shares in the company, valued at $2,689,665.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 89,078 shares of company stock valued at $6,325,042 in the last three months. 26.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE:SMG opened at $86.71 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $72.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.54. The company has a market cap of $4.93 billion, a PE ratio of -13.90 and a beta of 1.75. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a twelve month low of $43.67 and a twelve month high of $88.35.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.42. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative net margin of 7.38% and a negative return on equity of 41.19%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.17 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 2.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 23rd. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -42.31%.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Profile

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells products for lawn, garden care, and indoor and hydroponic gardening in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Consumer, Hawthorne, and Other. The company provides lawn care products, comprising lawn fertilizers, grass seed products, spreaders, and other durable products, as well as lawn-related weed, pest, and disease control products; and gardening and landscape products, which include water-soluble and continuous-release plant foods, potting mixes, garden soils, mulches and ground cover products, plant-related pest and disease control products, organic garden products, and live goods and seeding solutions.