The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Shares Sold by Champlain Investment Partners LLC

Champlain Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,312,375 shares of the company's stock after selling 104,240 shares during the quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned about 1.23% of J. M. Smucker worth $144,519,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 188.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of J. M. Smucker stock traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $116.84. The company had a trading volume of 160,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,176,561. The company's 50-day moving average is $112.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.73. The J. M. Smucker Company has a twelve month low of $98.77 and a twelve month high of $125.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $12.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. Analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -179.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen cut shares of J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $125.67.

J. M. Smucker Company 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.