Compass Financial Management LLC Buys Shares of 31,738 The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 31,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,162,000. Compass Financial Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Scotts Miracle-Gro at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 4,690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft grew its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 3.9% in the first quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 5,193 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 2.2% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 9,126 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $555,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,077 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Down 0.3%

SMG opened at $60.94 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $65.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.99 and a beta of 1.82. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 12-month low of $52.00 and a 12-month high of $75.34.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.34. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 81.90% and a net margin of 2.19%.The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio is presently 229.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SMG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $79.00 price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Scotts Miracle-Gro currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $75.40.

Insider Activity at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In other news, Director Mark D. Kingdon sold 831 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.65, for a total transaction of $51,231.15. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $667,484.55. The trade was a 7.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.45, for a total transaction of $2,023,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 13,137,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $886,133,885.45. The trade was a 0.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 32,002 shares of company stock worth $2,154,734 in the last ninety days. 24.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company 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.