Holocene Advisors LP Makes New $4.95 Million Investment in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 40,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,945,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in J. M. Smucker by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 4,846 shares of the company's stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 6,703.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 159,873 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,433,000 after purchasing an additional 157,523 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in J. M. Smucker by 62.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,174 shares of the company's stock worth $3,043,000 after acquiring an additional 9,250 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its stake in J. M. Smucker by 14.1% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 127,618 shares of the company's stock worth $13,915,000 after acquiring an additional 15,792 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in J. M. Smucker by 40.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,353,996 shares of the company's stock worth $406,169,000 after acquiring an additional 958,142 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J. M. Smucker Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE SJM traded up $1.25 during trading on Thursday, reaching $116.69. 853,116 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,179,538. The firm has a market cap of $12.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.26. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $116.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The J. M. Smucker Company has a fifty-two week low of $105.69 and a fifty-two week high of $134.62.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued 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. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The business had revenue of $2.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS. J. M. Smucker's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.9 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.70%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SJM has been the topic of several research reports. 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $125.00 in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of J. M. Smucker to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, J. M. Smucker presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $127.73.

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.