The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 28.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,784 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,859 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $6,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake in J. M. Smucker by 40.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,353,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $406,169,000 after acquiring an additional 958,142 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in J. M. Smucker by 186.3% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 805,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,195,000 after purchasing an additional 523,803 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 891.3% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 579,903 shares of the company's stock worth $70,226,000 after purchasing an additional 521,404 shares during the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC grew its position in J. M. Smucker by 56.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 1,354,999 shares of the company's stock worth $147,749,000 after purchasing an additional 486,624 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in J. M. Smucker by 4,996.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 207,202 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,092,000 after buying an additional 203,136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Down 2.4 %

NYSE SJM traded down $2.83 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $115.00. 1,193,565 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,180,323. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $115.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.85. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12-month low of $105.69 and a 12-month high of $134.62. The firm has a market cap of $12.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The company had revenue of $2.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. J. M. Smucker's payout ratio is presently 87.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on SJM. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $123.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus cut J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Friday, October 25th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $138.00 to $136.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $128.56.

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.