The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $68.17.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SMG shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $77.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Truist Financial upgraded shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

SMG opened at $53.07 on Wednesday. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a 52-week low of $46.45 and a 52-week high of $93.90. The firm has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -110.55 and a beta of 1.96. The business's fifty day moving average is $57.25 and its 200-day moving average is $69.04.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($1.45) EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Scotts Miracle-Gro's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -550.00%.

Insider Transactions at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In other news, Director Brian E. Sandoval sold 1,513 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.86, for a total value of $99,646.18. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher Hagedorn sold 3,568 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $255,112.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,972 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,001,998. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 159,937 shares of company stock worth $11,379,275. Company insiders own 25.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Scotts Miracle-Gro

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 42,303 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,807,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Investment House LLC increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Investment House LLC now owns 61,190 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,059,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,664 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,524 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.07% of the company's stock.

About Scotts Miracle-Gro

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.

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