Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 30.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,700 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,300 shares during the quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.'s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $1,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,329.4% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 243 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.00, for a total transaction of $112,322.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on SJM. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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. Barclays dropped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $126.78.

J. M. Smucker Trading Up 2.5 %

SJM stock traded up $2.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $110.02. 1,759,637 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,115,269. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $106.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.47. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1 year low of $98.77 and a 1 year high of $127.59.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $2.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.27 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.59 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 87.45%.

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.