Investors Research Corp Has $905,000 Stock Holdings in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG)

Investors Research Corp lessened its holdings in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,648 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp’s holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro were worth $905,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SMG. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the fourth quarter valued at $39,986,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1,033.4% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 364,045 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,563,000 after purchasing an additional 331,925 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 228.0% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 252,798 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $21,918,000 after purchasing an additional 175,719 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 5.0% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,172,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $275,082,000 after purchasing an additional 151,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, De Lisle Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the third quarter valued at $10,162,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

Scotts Miracle-Gro stock opened at $62.23 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of -129.63 and a beta of 1.79. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 52 week low of $55.68 and a 52 week high of $93.90.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The basic materials company reported ($0.89) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.23) by $0.34. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 51.48% and a negative net margin of 0.67%. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.45) EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.24%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s payout ratio is presently -550.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $78.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Monday, December 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Scotts Miracle-Gro currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.00.

Insider Transactions at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, Director Brian E. Sandoval sold 1,513 shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.86, for a total transaction of $99,646.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 13,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $858,748.54. This trade represents a 10.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher Hagedorn sold 3,568 shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $255,112.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,001,998. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 159,937 shares of company stock worth $11,379,275. Company insiders own 25.37% of the company’s stock.

About Scotts Miracle-Gro

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells products for lawn, garden care, and indoor and hydroponic gardening in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Consumer, Hawthorne, and Other. The company provides lawn care products, comprising lawn fertilizers, grass seed products, spreaders, and other durable products, as well as lawn-related weed, pest, and disease control products; and gardening and landscape products, which include water-soluble and continuous-release plant foods, potting mixes, garden soils, mulches and ground cover products, plant-related pest and disease control products, organic garden products, and live goods and seeding solutions.