WBI Investments LLC Makes New Investment in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 12,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,415,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of SJM. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 188.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at J. M. Smucker

In other news, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of J. M. Smucker 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. This trade represents a 36.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,503,493.68. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

J. M. Smucker Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE SJM opened at $113.53 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.36. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.26. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1 year low of $98.77 and a 1 year high of $125.42.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last posted 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 firm 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 research analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $4.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.81%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is -179.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SJM has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of 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. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $123.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $126.50.

J. M. Smucker Company 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.