105,163 Shares in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG Purchased by Madison Asset Management LLC

Madison Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 105,163 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,163,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kestrel Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,390,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 182.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 66,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,057,000 after acquiring an additional 43,066 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 223.3% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 29,239 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,706,000 after acquiring an additional 20,196 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 16.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 658,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,050,000 after purchasing an additional 92,614 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its holdings in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 387,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $22,591,000 after purchasing an additional 34,350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Stephen L. Johnson sold 1,171 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total transaction of $80,002.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 30,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,061,829.28. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mark D. Kingdon sold 831 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.65, for a total value of $51,231.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $667,484.55. This trade represents a 7.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 32,002 shares of company stock worth $2,154,734 in the last three months. 24.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Scotts Miracle-Gro

Here are the key news stories impacting Scotts Miracle-Gro this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased its FY2026 EPS forecast to $4.43 from $4.30, FY2027 EPS to $4.60 from $4.50, and FY2028 EPS to $4.95 from $4.73. It also raised forecasts for Q2 2027, Q2 2028, and Q3 2028, suggesting analysts see improving profitability beyond the immediate quarters.
• Positive Sentiment: Scotts and the Columbus Crew hosted an Ohio 4-H mowing clinic at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. The community initiative may strengthen the company’s brand and consumer engagement, although it is unlikely to materially affect near-term financial results. Columbus Crew and Scotts Host Ohio 4-H Youth for First-ever Mowing Clinic at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field
• Neutral Sentiment: The current full-year consensus EPS estimate remains approximately $4.4 per share, indicating that the longer-term upward revisions have not yet translated into a broad change in the headline annual outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research reduced its Q4 2026 EPS forecast to a loss of $2.15 per share from a loss of $1.95. It also trimmed Q1 2027 EPS to a loss of $0.74, Q4 2027 to a loss of $1.63, and Q1 2028 to a loss of $0.73. These cuts point to weaker near-term seasonal earnings and may weigh on sentiment.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Price Performance

SMG stock opened at $61.20 on Thursday. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 12 month low of $52.00 and a 12 month high of $75.34. The firm has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 53.21 and a beta of 1.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.23.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s payout ratio is presently 229.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SMG shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $79.00 price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.40.

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.