Smucker's
Essay by 24 • December 25, 2010 • 8,722 Words (35 Pages) • 987 Views
Important disclosures appear on the last page of this report.
Krause Fund Research
Spring 2006
Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverage
Recommendation: BUY
Analysts
Joseph Kern
joseph-kern@uiowa.edu
William Seitz
william-seitz@uiowa.edu
James Terrell
james-terrell@uiowa.edu
Company Overview
J.M. Smucker Co. was founded in 1987. They primarily
operate in North America. They are a leading producer in
fruit spreads, peanut butter, oils and shortenings, natural and
health foods, ice cream toppings, and condiments. SJM
classifies operations into their U.S. market segment and
their special market segment. The U.S. market segment
consists of consumer foods and oils businesses. The special
market segment consists of foodservice, industrial,
international, and beverage businesses. In 2005 SJM
acquired International Multifoods, which added flour and
baking products to their product mix. Some of SJM's most
recognizable brands are: Smucker's, Jif, Crisco, Pilsbury,
and Hungry Jack.
Stock Performance Highlights
52 week High $51.04
52 week Low $37.15
Beta Value 0.62
Average Daily Volume 359,800
Share Highlights
Market Capitalization $2.28 b
Shares Outstanding 58.21 m
Book Value per share 29.93
EPS (ttm) $2.22
P/E Ratio 17.90
Price/Sales 1.70
Dividend Yield 2.70%
Dividend Rate 1.08
Company Performance Highlights
ROA 6.00%
ROE 7.86%
Sales $2.14 b
Financial Ratios
Quick Ratio 0.40
Current Ratio 2.26
Debt to Equity 0.25
J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM)
April 17, 2006
Current Price $39.54
Target Price Range $50-$53
Rising Input Costs and Slow Economic
Outlook Wont Hurt Growth
* Rising interest rates will result in an economic downturn.
Non-cyclical companies like SJM will provide a safe haven for
investors in a bearish economy.
* SJM relies heavily on commodities for their production of
goods. They will need to cut costs in other areas through
restructuring and improved synergy with International
Multifoods to offset the rising prices of commodities.
* Private label goods continue to threaten the market share of
SJM and other companies that sell branded products. An
economic downturn will mean that SJM and their competitors
will have to compete on market share and cost savings.
* SJM will have improved growth opportunities and favorable
exchange rates in their Canadian business market with the
addition of top Canadian brands Bick and Robin Hood from the
acquisition of International Multifoods.
* SJM has led the industry in sales growth since 2003. SJM
also improved their gross margin more than any other company
in the industry for the same period. They will look to continue
improving gross margin in a high-cost environment and maintain
sales growth in a very competitive industry.
One Year Stock Performance
Important disclosures appear on the last page of this report.
Executive Summary
As the economy continues into an economic
downturn, investors will look to invest in noncyclical
industries like the food and non-alcoholic
beverage industry. SJM will need to improve
efficiency and cut costs through restructuring and
improved synergy with International Multifoods in
order to offset rising commodity prices. They will
continue to have market share threatened by
competitors' branded label products as well as the
growth of private label goods. SJM will maintain
a North American focus with the best growth
opportunities in the Canadian market. Their
ability to adapt to consumer's changing needs will
be crucial in the company's future success.
We recommend a buy for SJM with a target price
range of $50.00-$53.00, which
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