Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 91,102 Shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Intech Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) by 65.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 47,950 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 91,102 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro were worth $2,731,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SMG. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 201.1% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 157.3% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 156.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 32.1% in the second quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 725 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro in the third quarter worth $55,000. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on SMG shares. UBS Group set a $67.00 price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.00.

Insider Transactions at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total transaction of $3,320,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 13,167,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $874,331,362.40. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer purchased 693 shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $71.44 per share, with a total value of $49,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,098,032.80. The trade was a 4.72% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 24.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE SMG opened at $70.41 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $64.02 and its 200-day moving average is $59.80. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 47.90 and a beta of 1.98. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 12-month low of $45.61 and a 12-month high of $72.35.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.04) by $0.27. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 2.68% and a negative return on equity of 68.59%. The business had revenue of $354.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.89) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s payout ratio is currently 179.59%.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Profile

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of consumer lawn and garden products. The firm serves both retail and professional customers through an array of branded offerings that include lawn fertilizers, grass seed, pest and disease control solutions, plant foods and specialty products for indoor and outdoor gardening. Its portfolio spans well-known names such as Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, Ortho® and various hydroponic and specialty garden brands.

Headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, the company traces its roots to O.M.