Zacks Research Brokers Boost Earnings Estimates for SMG

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) – Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note issued on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $4.26 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $4.10. The consensus estimate for Scotts Miracle-Gro’s current full-year earnings is $4.35 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Scotts Miracle-Gro’s Q3 2027 earnings at $2.59 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.50 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $4.22 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.73 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on SMG. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $76.00 price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group set a $67.00 price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $67.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Scotts Miracle-Gro currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.50.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of SMG stock opened at $56.37 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of 31.49 and a beta of 1.88. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.40. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a twelve month low of $52.00 and a twelve month high of $72.35.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $4.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.97 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 3.27% and a negative return on equity of 79.61%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.98 earnings per share.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 147.49%.

Insider Activity at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In other news, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer bought 693 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of $71.44 per share, for a total transaction of $49,507.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,370 shares in the company, valued at $1,098,032.80. The trade was a 4.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Scotts Miracle-Gro

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 12,034.5% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,008,623 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $66,529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,311 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro during the first quarter worth $50,058,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 161.1% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,289,974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $78,443,000 after buying an additional 795,970 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 458.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 822,743 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $54,268,000 after buying an additional 675,493 shares during the period. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 362.8% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 737,546 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,036,000 after buying an additional 578,174 shares during the period. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.