Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 701 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,626 shares of the company’s stock after selling 701 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in J. M. Smucker were worth $837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the third quarter worth $464,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in J. M. Smucker by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 277,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,103,000 after acquiring an additional 36,296 shares during the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,147,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 58.3% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 238,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,085,000 after purchasing an additional 87,682 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank bought a new position in shares of J. M. Smucker in the third quarter worth approximately $5,522,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their target price on J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $132.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of J. M. Smucker from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Citigroup cut their price objective on 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded J. M. Smucker from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $137.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at J. M. Smucker

In related news, insider Jeannette L. Knudsen sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.77, for a total transaction of $399,264.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,116,192.42. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJM opened at $112.06 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $117.22 and a 200 day moving average of $120.79. The J. M. Smucker Company has a 52 week low of $107.33 and a 52 week high of $156.03.

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

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -481.81%.

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.