Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Acquires 5,353 Shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG - Free Report) by 4,149.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,482 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,353 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd's holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 77.3% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 516 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 68.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 621 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James Hagedorn sold 142,733 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.56, for a total transaction of $10,213,973.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 88,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,319,463.60. The trade was a 61.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Brian E. Sandoval sold 1,513 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.86, for a total transaction of $99,646.18. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $858,748.54. The trade was a 10.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 159,937 shares of company stock valued at $11,379,275. 25.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price target for the company from $72.00 to $69.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $78.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $80.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Scotts Miracle-Gro has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.83.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:SMG traded up $0.69 on Friday, hitting $51.11. The stock had a trading volume of 1,458,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 881,351. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $59.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.69. The stock has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -106.48 and a beta of 1.96. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 52-week low of $46.45 and a 52-week high of $93.90.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The basic materials company reported ($0.89) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.23) by $0.34. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative net margin of 0.67% and a negative return on equity of 51.48%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($1.45) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.17%. Scotts Miracle-Gro's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -550.00%.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Profile

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells products for lawn, garden care, and indoor and hydroponic gardening in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Consumer, Hawthorne, and Other. The company provides lawn care products, comprising lawn fertilizers, grass seed products, spreaders, and other durable products, as well as lawn-related weed, pest, and disease control products; and gardening and landscape products, which include water-soluble and continuous-release plant foods, potting mixes, garden soils, mulches and ground cover products, plant-related pest and disease control products, organic garden products, and live goods and seeding solutions.