Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Purchases New Holdings in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new position in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 823,183 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,058,000. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 1.41% of Scotts Miracle-Gro at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SMG. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 4,690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 3.9% in the first quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 5,193 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 2.2% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,126 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,077 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 10,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $79.00 target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.00.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SMG opened at $69.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.78 and a beta of 1.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.96. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 52-week low of $52.00 and a 52-week high of $75.34.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.97 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 79.61% and a net margin of 3.27%.Scotts Miracle-Gro’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.98 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

About Scotts Miracle-Gro

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of consumer lawn and garden products. The firm serves both retail and professional customers through an array of branded offerings that include lawn fertilizers, grass seed, pest and disease control solutions, plant foods and specialty products for indoor and outdoor gardening. Its portfolio spans well-known names such as Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, Ortho® and various hydroponic and specialty garden brands.

Headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, the company traces its roots to O.M.