Versant Capital Management Inc Boosts Stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 106.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 526 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $58,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SJM. Studio Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,329.4% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 243 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 212.6% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SJM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $125.00 in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $123.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $128.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $112,322.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,116,942. This represents a 5.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

NYSE:SJM opened at $111.53 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $105.69 and a 52 week high of $134.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $113.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.86.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.25. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company had revenue of $2.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. J. M. Smucker’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.89 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is 87.45%.

J. M. Smucker Company Profile

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.