Aquatic Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 40.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,333 shares of the company's stock after selling 59,029 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC owned about 0.08% of J. M. Smucker worth $9,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SJM. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,365.5% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 425 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Trading Down 0.5 %

SJM opened at $115.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $98.77 and a 52 week high of $125.42. The business's 50 day moving average is $113.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. On average, research analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -179.25%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $569,974.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total transaction of $594,902.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SJM. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. TD Cowen cut shares of J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, J. M. Smucker presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $126.50.

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.

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