Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $72.35 and last traded at $71.80, with a volume of 129833 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $69.12.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SMG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $67.00 price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.00.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $63.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.64. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 1.98.

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

Scotts Miracle-Gro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 179.59%.

Insider Transactions at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In related news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total value of $3,320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,167,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $874,331,362.40. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer purchased 693 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $71.44 per share, for a total transaction of $49,507.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,098,032.80. This trade represents a 4.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 24.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 26.3% during the first 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 during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 18.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 23,446 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 127.9% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,143 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 3,448 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 9.6% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 57,250 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,776,000 after purchasing an additional 5,004 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 23.7% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,535 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,344,000 after buying an additional 6,805 shares during the period. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.