Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Takes $1.42 Million Position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,415,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SJM. Probity Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 8,791 shares of the company's stock worth $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company lifted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 3.5% during the third quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 2,987 shares of the company's stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 660 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 11.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,032 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in J. M. Smucker by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,731 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

NYSE SJM traded up $1.38 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $104.38. 1,026,129 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 994,657. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $108.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.25. The J. M. Smucker Company has a fifty-two week low of $99.81 and a fifty-two week high of $130.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.27.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.25. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The firm had revenue of $2.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker's payout ratio is 87.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total value of $112,322.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,116,942. The trade was a 5.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on SJM shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $123.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, J. M. Smucker presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $126.78.

J. M. Smucker Profile

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.