Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 58,231 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,609,952 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 58,231 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $286,664,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SJM. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank lifted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,365.5% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

SJM opened at $115.03 on Friday. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1 year low of $98.77 and a 1 year high of $125.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $109.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.14. The firm has a market cap of $12.24 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. Sell-side analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.76%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -179.25%.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $569,974.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total transaction of $594,902.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,022,390.44. This represents a 36.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on SJM shares. StockNews.com raised shares of J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Barclays lowered their target price on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen lowered J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $125.67.

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.