Jam magnate J.M. Smucker (NYSE: SJM) got squashed on Tuesday, its share price tumbling 12.7% through noon ET, after reporting mixed earnings this morning.
Heading into the company's fiscal Q4 2025 report, analysts expected the foods company to earn $2.25 per share, adjusted for one-time items, on sales of $2.2 billion. Smucker beat the earnings target handily, reporting $2.31, but missed on sales, which were only $2.1 billion.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »
Image source: Getty Images.
Not all the news was bad. Q4 sales declined 3% year over year, but only 1% "adjusted" to reflect divestitures of the company's Sahale Snacks, Canadian condiments, and Voortman businesses, as well as foreign currency rate fluctuations. But the bad news was... pretty bad.
Adjusted earnings for the quarter declined 13% year over year, and Smucker reported a $6.85-per-share net loss, as calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). So Smucker didn't just earn less money; it actually lost money.
Indeed, for full-year fiscal 2025, Smucker reported a net loss of $11.57 per share on sales that declined 13%.
And yet, all bad things must come to an end, and things may be looking up for Smucker as we move into the company's fiscal 2026. Management forecasts a return to sales growth of 2% to 4% this year, with adjusted earnings between $8.50 and $9.50, and positive free cash flow (FCF) of $875 million.
If Smucker hits that mark, it would mean year-over-year FCF growth roughly twice as good as sales growth -- about 7% -- and give the stock an unchallenging price-to-free cash flow ratio of only 13.6. Factor in a 3.9% dividend yield and a high-single-digit growth rate, and J.M. Smucker might be getting close to cheap enough to buy.
Before you buy stock in J.M. Smucker, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and J.M. Smucker wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $660,341!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $874,192!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 999% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025
Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends J.M. Smucker. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.