Everpar Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 10,150 The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG)

Everpar Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 10,150 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $647,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SMG. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 590,658 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,525,000 after purchasing an additional 36,056 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 29.2% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 96,707 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,998,000 after acquiring an additional 21,834 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 51,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,660,000 after acquiring an additional 2,134 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the 3rd quarter valued at $316,000. Institutional investors own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SMG traded down $2.25 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $69.18. 705,167 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 760,135. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.09 and a beta of 1.70. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a one year low of $43.67 and a one year high of $77.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $69.31 and its 200 day moving average is $61.43.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative net margin of 10.14% and a negative return on equity of 20.97%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.78 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 2.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 24th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 23rd. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -42.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SMG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Scotts Miracle-Gro presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.00.

Insider Activity at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, Director Stephen L. Johnson sold 1,394 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.35, for a total value of $79,945.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,918 shares in the company, valued at $1,314,347.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Scotts Miracle-Gro news, major shareholder Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.40, for a total value of $876,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,881,368 shares in the company, valued at $810,671,891.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Stephen L. Johnson sold 1,394 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.35, for a total value of $79,945.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 22,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,314,347.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 102,750 shares of company stock worth $6,604,492 over the last three months. Company insiders own 26.46% of the company’s stock.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Profile

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.