Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Grows Stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) by 128.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,452 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,633 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SJM. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,365.5% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 425 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other J. M. Smucker news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $569,974.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total value of $594,902.42. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SJM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen cut J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays lowered their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on J. M. Smucker in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $134.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $126.50.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of SJM stock opened at $115.16 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $12.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.73. 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 52-week low of $98.77 and a 52-week high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. On average, equities analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. J. M. Smucker's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -179.25%.

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.

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