Sigma Planning Corp Trims Stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 43.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,996 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,073 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter worth about $277,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 41.4% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 17,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,194,000 after acquiring an additional 5,224 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 2.7% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 109,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,437,000 after purchasing an additional 2,838 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 40.2% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 105,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,014,000 after purchasing an additional 30,344 shares during the period. Finally, Verity & Verity LLC increased its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1.3% during the third quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 53,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,190,000 after purchasing an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

SJM opened at $115.18 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $120.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.67. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52-week low of $107.33 and a 52-week high of $159.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -130.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.78.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.21. J. M. Smucker had a negative net margin of 1.24% and a positive return on equity of 14.29%. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -481.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SJM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus raised J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. DA Davidson began coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $132.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $137.47.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total transaction of $399,264.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,946 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,192.42. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

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.