GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Purchases 3,522 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 40,171 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,522 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $4,380,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Central Valley Advisors LLC bought a new position in J. M. Smucker in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $138.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $135.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Argus cut their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $127.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J. M. Smucker news, CEO Mark T. Smucker sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.16, for a total value of $1,101,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 78,757 shares in the company, valued at $8,675,871.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

NYSE:SJM opened at $120.74 on Friday. The J. M. Smucker Company has a one year low of $105.69 and a one year high of $134.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $12.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $117.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.26.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.27. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 14.22%. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.82 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $1.08 dividend. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. This is a positive change from J. M. Smucker’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.67%.

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.