Sound Income Strategies LLC Buys 73,455 Shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company $SMG

Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) by 46.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 230,966 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,455 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC owned approximately 0.40% of Scotts Miracle-Gro worth $14,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of SMG. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 26.3% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,524 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $413,000 after purchasing an additional 1,569 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 18.5% during 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 in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 64,513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,255,000 after acquiring an additional 2,842 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 4,745 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,773 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 907 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Scotts Miracle-Gro

In other news, EVP Mark J. Scheiwer purchased 693 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $71.44 per share, for a total transaction of $49,507.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,370 shares in the company, valued at $1,098,032.80. This trade represents a 4.72% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 13,167,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $874,331,362.40. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SMG opened at $65.48 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $65.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.21. The company has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a PE ratio of 44.54 and a beta of 1.94. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has a 52-week low of $45.61 and a 52-week high of $72.35.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.77) EPS 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 firm had revenue of $354.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.89) earnings per share. The business’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. On average, analysts forecast that The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s payout ratio is 179.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SMG shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from $70.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group set a $67.00 price target on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $70.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.83.

Scotts Miracle-Gro 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.