Prudential Financial Inc. Purchases 112,055 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 164.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 180,291 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 112,055 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.17% of J. M. Smucker worth $19,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 660 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in J. M. Smucker by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,731 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,845 shares of the company's stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC raised its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 5,023 shares of the company's stock valued at $553,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 35.7% during the 4th quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 475 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJM traded down $0.60 during trading on Friday, reaching $116.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,223,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,173,057. The company has a fifty day moving average of $108.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $112.20. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12 month low of $98.77 and a 12 month high of $125.75.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker's payout ratio is currently -179.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $569,974.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. This trade represents a 27.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SJM. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $123.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. DA Davidson reduced their target price on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.67.

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.