The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.00.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group set a $67.00 target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 target price on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th.

Insider Activity at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total transaction of $3,320,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,167,641 shares in the company, valued at $874,331,362.40. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Scotts Miracle-Gro

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 201.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the third quarter worth $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 157.3% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 156.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

NYSE SMG opened at $68.36 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.50 and a beta of 1.98. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.18. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a one year low of $45.61 and a one year high of $70.67.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.04) by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $354.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $353.25 million. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 2.68% and a negative return on equity of 68.59%. The company’s revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.89) EPS. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio is presently 179.59%.

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.