Machina Capital S.A.S. Buys New Shares in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 15,759 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,735,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,329.4% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $112,322.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,116,942. This represents a 5.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J. M. Smucker Trading Up 5.2 %

Shares of SJM stock opened at $117.29 on Friday. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52-week low of $98.77 and a 52-week high of $127.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.58. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.96. The company has a market capitalization of $12.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28.

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

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is -179.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SJM shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. 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. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $126.13.

J. M. Smucker 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.