Prudential Financial Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 164.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 180,291 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 112,055 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.17% of J. M. Smucker worth $19,854,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank boosted its position 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 worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Trading Up 2.8 %

NYSE SJM opened at $114.46 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $107.65 and a 200 day moving average of $112.25. The company has a market capitalization of $12.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1 year low of $98.77 and a 1 year high of $127.15.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. Research 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 announced 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 3.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -179.25%.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In other J. M. Smucker news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $569,974.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SJM shares. TD Cowen lowered J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.67.

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.