The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG) To Go Ex-Dividend on February 20th

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, January 26th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of 0.66 per share by the basic materials company on Friday, March 6th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th.

Scotts Miracle-Gro has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.2%per year over the last three years. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a dividend payout ratio of 62.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Scotts Miracle-Gro to earn $4.04 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.64 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 65.3%.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Price Performance

NYSE SMG opened at $63.19 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $58.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.36. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11 and a beta of 1.95. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a 1 year low of $45.61 and a 1 year high of $79.11.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.97) by $0.20. The business had revenue of $354.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $353.25 million. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a negative return on equity of 67.74% and a net margin of 4.26%. On average, research analysts expect that Scotts Miracle-Gro will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on SMG shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $61.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.33.

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.