J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen cut their target price on J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $137.47.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of J. M. Smucker stock traded up $1.05 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $114.65. 1,511,017 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,277,793. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The business has a 50-day moving average of $119.91 and a 200-day moving average of $120.71. J. M. Smucker has a 1 year low of $107.33 and a 1 year high of $159.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -130.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.21.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.21. J. M. Smucker had a negative net margin of 1.24% and a positive return on equity of 14.29%. The company had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.21 EPS. J. M. Smucker’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that J. M. Smucker will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total transaction of $399,264.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,116,192.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J. M. Smucker

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SJM. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at $464,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in J. M. Smucker by 15.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 277,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,103,000 after purchasing an additional 36,296 shares during the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth about $11,147,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 58.3% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 238,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,085,000 after buying an additional 87,682 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,522,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.