Compass Financial Management LLC Makes New $2.16 Million Investment in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 31,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,162,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 26.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,524 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 1,569 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 149,882 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,227,000 after acquiring an additional 23,446 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 4,745 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 71.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 247,749 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $16,342,000 after acquiring an additional 102,997 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the second quarter worth about $309,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Scotts Miracle-Gro news, Director Stephen L. Johnson sold 1,171 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total value of $80,002.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 30,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,061,829.28. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mark D. Kingdon sold 831 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.65, for a total value of $51,231.15. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $667,484.55. This represents a 7.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,002 shares of company stock worth $2,154,734. 24.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on SMG shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.40.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of SMG stock opened at $59.46 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $64.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.80. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a twelve month low of $52.00 and a twelve month high of $75.34. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.70 and a beta of 1.83.

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

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio is presently 229.57%.

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.