Joseph Group Capital Management Purchases 2,963 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Joseph Group Capital Management lifted its position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 14.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,729 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,963 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $2,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes 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 during the period. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank increased its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,365.5% during the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 0.5 %

SJM opened at $116.13 on Friday. 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 one year low of $98.77 and a one year high of $125.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $108.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.20.

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

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is presently -179.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on SJM shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson cut their target price 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. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $123.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.67.

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.