J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Reaches New 52-Week High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $132.00 and last traded at $131.0940, with a volume of 30470 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.45.

The company reported $3.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $1.02. J. M. Smucker had a positive return on equity of 17.18% and a negative net margin of 1.53%.The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. J. M. Smucker’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. J. M. Smucker has set its FY 2027 guidance at 10.500-11.000 EPS.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is a positive change from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is currently -344.62%.

J. M. Smucker News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting J. M. Smucker this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal first-quarter sales rose 5% year over year to $2.219 billion, exceeding analysts’ $2.13 billion estimate. Adjusted earnings guidance was raised to $10.50–$11.00 per share, above the approximately $10.03 consensus. J. M. Smucker quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. Retail Coffee sales increased 13% to $807.8 million, benefiting from steady demand and higher coffee prices. The company also cited growth in frozen handheld products and spreads. J.M. Smucker forecasts smaller-than-expected annual sales decline
• Positive Sentiment: Smucker swung to $324.3 million in net income from a $43.9 million loss a year earlier. Operating cash flow reached $425.7 million and free cash flow was $337.3 million, compared with negative free cash flow in the prior-year quarter. Smucker fiscal 2027 first-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Management narrowed its expected fiscal 2027 sales decline to 1%–2%, compared with its previous forecast of a 3%–4% decline, and projected revenue of roughly $8.9 billion–$9.0 billion. J.M. Smucker lifts outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Approximately $115 million of the quarter’s results came from tariff refunds, which may not recur and could make year-over-year comparisons less favorable in future periods. Smucker first-quarter sales and outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put-option activity before the earnings release and net insider selling may signal some near-term investor caution, although neither directly changes the company’s earnings outlook.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on SJM. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $107.00 price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings raised J. M. Smucker from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.53.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In other J. M. Smucker news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 3,630 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.05, for a total value of $403,111.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 38,699 shares in the company, valued at $4,297,523.95. This represents a 8.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,000 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.69, for a total value of $583,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 15,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,843,118.55. This represents a 24.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,533 shares of company stock worth $2,132,914. Insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SJM. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 271,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,216,000 after buying an additional 12,220 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 168,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,258,000 after acquiring an additional 44,935 shares during the period. Castleark Management LLC acquired a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the first quarter worth approximately $5,746,000. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 180,595 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,664,000 after acquiring an additional 27,272 shares during the period. Finally, Poehling Capital Management INC. boosted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 403.5% during the fourth quarter. Poehling Capital Management INC. now owns 22,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,175,000 after acquiring an additional 17,821 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 5.6%

The company has a market cap of $14.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -101.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.66.

About J. M. Smucker

The J. M. Smucker Company is a diversified food and beverage manufacturer and marketer known for a portfolio of well-established consumer brands. The company’s main business activities include the production and distribution of fruit spreads, peanut butter, coffee and coffee filters, as well as pet food and pet snacks. Smucker’s core product lines serve both retail and foodservice customers through grocery chains, mass merchandisers, club stores, convenience outlets and e-commerce channels.

Among its leading brands are Smucker’s® fruit spreads, Jif® peanut butter, Folgers® and Dunkin’® coffees, and Café Bustelo® coffee.