Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Stake in The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 368,322 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,163 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.35% of J. M. Smucker worth $40,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SJM. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its position in shares of J. M. Smucker by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in J. M. Smucker by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Mendel Money Management raised its position in J. M. Smucker by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 3,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Code Waechter LLC boosted its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 5,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at J. M. Smucker

In related news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $569,974.08. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

J. M. Smucker Price Performance

SJM stock opened at $116.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.58. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $108.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.25. The J. M. Smucker Company has a one year low of $98.77 and a one year high of $125.75. The company 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.

J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $2.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.24. J. M. Smucker had a net margin of 5.96% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The J. M. Smucker Company will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J. M. Smucker Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised J. M. Smucker from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays decreased their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. TD Cowen downgraded J. M. Smucker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of J. M. Smucker from $122.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $123.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $125.67.

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.