Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires 468,200 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 76.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,078,892 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 468,200 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned about 1.01% of J. M. Smucker worth $118,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Utah Retirement Systems increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 17,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Money Management increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 3,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 967 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

NYSE:SJM opened at $113.53 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.26. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52-week low of $98.77 and a 52-week high of $125.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.08 billion, a PE ratio of 22.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.36.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. Analysts forecast that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total value of $594,902.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $1,503,493.68. This represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SJM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays cut their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $123.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson cut their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on J. M. Smucker in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $134.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.50.

About J. M. Smucker

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.