Bailard Inc. Sells 1,279 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Bailard Inc. reduced its position in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,913 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,279 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $1,632,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 2,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 409 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 531 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SJM shares. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $153.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $137.47.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJM traded down $0.75 on Friday, hitting $114.43. 217,534 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,259,547. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 1-year low of $107.33 and a 1-year high of $159.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $120.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -130.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.21.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.21. J. M. Smucker had a negative net margin of 1.24% and a positive return on equity of 14.29%. The firm had revenue of $2.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. J. M. Smucker’s payout ratio is -481.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In other J. M. Smucker news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total value of $399,264.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,116,192.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.50% of the stock is 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.