Virtu Financial LLC Invests $1.50 Million in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 13,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,502,000.

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

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

SJM opened at $109.78 on Friday. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12-month low of $98.77 and a 12-month high of $127.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $107.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is presently -179.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SJM shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective 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. DA Davidson cut their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. TD Cowen downgraded J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.00.

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 that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $569,974.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. This trade represents a 27.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.