J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $136.22 and last traded at $133.3910, with a volume of 486,029 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $132.43.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. HC Wainwright set a $123.00 price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $120.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.00.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $124.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.94 billion, a PE ratio of 60.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.26.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The company reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $1.02. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 19.85% and a net margin of 2.51%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.90 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. J. M. Smucker has set its FY 2027 guidance at 10.500-11.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 10.71 earnings per share for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is 209.35%.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 18,482 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.05, for a total transaction of $2,440,548.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 38,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,110,202.95. This represents a 32.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert D. Ferguson sold 2,522 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.41, for a total value of $333,938.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 36,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,805,820.95. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of J. M. Smucker

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 246.6% during the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 206.7% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 276 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 89.5% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 523 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Company Profile

The J. M. Smucker Company, founded in 1897 by Jerome Monroe Smucker in Orrville, Ohio, is a food and beverage company serving consumers primarily in the United States and Canada. The company sells branded products through grocery retailers, club stores, e-commerce channels, foodservice distributors and other outlets.

Its portfolio includes coffee brands such as Folgers, Dunkin’ and Café Bustelo; fruit spreads and toppings sold under the Smucker’s name; and peanut butter and related products under the Jif brand.