Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC Purchases 11,304 Shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC grew its position in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 44,404 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 11,304 shares during the period. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC’s holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro were worth $2,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SMG. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 201.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 157.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 156.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the 2nd quarter valued at $67,000. Institutional investors own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SMG. UBS Group set a $67.00 price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.50.

Insider Activity at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer acquired 693 shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $71.44 per share, for a total transaction of $49,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,370 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,098,032.80. This represents a 4.72% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total transaction of $3,320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,167,641 shares in the company, valued at $874,331,362.40. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE:SMG opened at $60.98 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $65.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.98. The stock has a market cap of $3.54 billion, a PE ratio of 41.48 and a beta of 1.96. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 52 week low of $45.61 and a 52 week high of $72.35.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.04) by $0.27. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 68.59% and a net margin of 2.68%.The business had revenue of $354.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.89) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s payout ratio is currently 179.59%.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Profile

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.