Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Has $41.12 Million Stock Position in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) by 32.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 722,019 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 347,624 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 1.25% of Scotts Miracle-Gro worth $41,119,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Scotts Miracle-Gro during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 32.1% in the 2nd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 725 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 835.1% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 907 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 810 shares during the period. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

NYSE:SMG opened at $57.91 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $55.85 and its 200-day moving average is $60.00. The company has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93 and a beta of 1.97. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 52-week low of $45.61 and a 52-week high of $79.11.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported ($1.96) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.88) by ($0.08). Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 67.74% and a net margin of 4.26%.The firm had revenue of $387.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $396.75 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($2.31) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.150-4.350 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on SMG shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $62.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.50.

About Scotts Miracle-Gro

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.