Clark & Stuart Inc Invests $7.67 Million in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 69,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,667,000. J. M. Smucker comprises about 5.6% of Clark & Stuart Inc's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Clark & Stuart Inc owned 0.07% of J. M. Smucker as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. 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 buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 19,791 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,158,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 11.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,032 shares of the company's stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. increased its stake in J. M. Smucker by 3.5% during the third quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,178 shares of the company's stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SJM has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. TD Cowen lowered J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com upgraded J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $127.33.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SJM traded up $1.32 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $102.22. 989,018 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,091,157. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $112.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.73. The company has a market cap of $10.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.28. 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 J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $100.77 and a 52 week high of $134.62.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $2.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.27 billion. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.59 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. J. M. Smucker's payout ratio is currently 87.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,116,942. This trade represents a 5.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

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.