GAMMA Investing LLC Boosts Holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 81.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,567 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,151 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SJM. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its position in J. M. Smucker by 2,266.7% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Mark T. Smucker sold 10,000 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.16, for a total transaction of $1,101,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,757 shares in the company, valued at $8,675,871.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on SJM shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. 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 research note on Thursday, June 13th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on J. M. Smucker from $132.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 10th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on J. M. Smucker from $132.00 to $123.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $132.64.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 1.2 %

SJM stock traded down $1.52 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $120.88. 1,430,653 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,255,100. The stock has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The J. M. Smucker Company has a fifty-two week low of $105.69 and a fifty-two week high of $150.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $112.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.15.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 6th. The company reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.34. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 9.10%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.64 earnings per share. J. M. Smucker’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 10.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.55%.

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.