Virtu Financial LLC Buys Shares of 13,638 The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 13,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,502,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank lifted its holdings in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

J. M. Smucker Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of SJM traded up $2.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $116.84. 1,291,447 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,129,170. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 12 month low of $98.77 and a 12 month high of $127.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $12.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. The stock's 50-day moving average is $107.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.25.

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J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. Research analysts forecast that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. J. M. Smucker's payout ratio is currently -179.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen downgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered J. M. Smucker from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 3.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.