J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $98.77 and last traded at $100.32, with a volume of 223850 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $102.03.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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 research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $123.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.78.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.27.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $0.25. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business had revenue of $2.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is 87.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of J. M. Smucker 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,116,942. The trade was a 5.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $361,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Principal Street Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC now owns 41,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,561,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 217,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,924,000 after purchasing an additional 20,837 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.