Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 11,952 Shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 211,731 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,952 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.20% of J. M. Smucker worth $23,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SJM. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank increased its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 1,365.5% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of J. M. Smucker stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total transaction of $569,974.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on SJM shares. DA Davidson cut their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target 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. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $123.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen cut J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $125.67.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SJM opened at $116.13 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The J. M. Smucker Company has a twelve month low of $98.77 and a twelve month high of $125.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $108.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.17.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for 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%. Equities research analysts expect that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current year.

J. M. Smucker Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. J. M. Smucker’s dividend payout ratio is currently -179.25%.

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.