The J.M. Smucker Compan's (SJM) shares, which I first wrote about on May 29, 2009 at a price of $40.26, have jumped above $70, and if you haven't already, now may be a good time to consider taking some profits off the table with SJM if you're in at/near $40.

However, those investors who can tolerate the risk can consider maintaining their full SJM position, to go for an even bigger gain.

Look for Smucker to post a healthy, 5-7% revenue gain in 2011, boosted by the addition of the Folgers coffee brand.

The J.M. Smucker Company (SJM), a food concern in the same category as ConAgra Foods (CAG) and Kraft Foods (KFT), issued its fiscal third-quarter report on Thursday. The document wasn't too thrilling, but it shows that the business is holding its own in the competitive battlefield of the supermarket shelves.

Its adjusted profit of $1.27 per share came in ahead of the overall projection by one penny. Not bad, considering the article highlights the challenges of navigating a volatile environment in terms of ingredient costs.

The J.M. Smucker Company (SJM) was down almost 1.4% to $62.15 at the close of the day. Volume was quite heavy. The market voted on the food entity's latest earnings report. Should investors listen to this opinion and immediately put in sell orders?

According to Theflyonthewall, the business, whose colleagues include ConAgra Foods, Inc. (CAG) and Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT), made an adjusted $1.38 per share during its fiscal second quarter. That was six solid pennies ahead of the overall projection. Not only was that beat cool to see, but income guidance for fiscal year 2011 saw an improvement.

I'm going to take a brief look at two stocks that traded on Friday based on earnings reports. Both can be found in the foodstuffs industry. And both beat Wall Street's projections. But which one do I prefer?

Hormel Foods (HRL), the company behind the Spam and Dinty Moore brands, made 63 cents per share in the fiscal third quarter, which, according to Reuters, was three pennies ahead of the estimate. But the good news doesn't stop there: guidance for the full fiscal year was increased.

The J.M. Smucker Company (SJM), whose related companies include ConAgra Foods, Inc. (CAG) and Kraft Company Inc. (KFT), is rallying this afternoon following an earnings report. With a little more than three hours to go before the closing bell, shares of the business famous for its jelly products were up over 6% to $61.39. Volume should do well.

The 52-week high on the stock is $63.50, so this is one of those stocks that needs to be examined in light of the recent bearish tone of the markets. Although the chart isn't the best out there, I tend to view the relative stability of the equity as a positive element.

J.M. Smucker (SJM) closed at $53.48. SJM report Q2 EPS of $1.22 and revenue of $1.2 billion. December option implied volatility of 27 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional movement after EPS.

ISE Sentiment Index-ISEE closed at 130 on 11/19/09. ISEE 10-day moving average is 136.

Two stocks with IV rise on November 19; E-Trade (ETFC) +31%, Monster Worldwide (MWW) +11%, according to IVolatility.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Few companies have as even-balanced revenue streams in a business line as J.M. Smucker does: it's an operational strength that's worth consideration by investors who can tolerate moderate risk.

In general, analysts like Smucker's purchase of Folgers' coffee business, with expected, annual, $100 million synergy and economy of scale benefits in FY2010, following one-time charges of $100-125 million.

This post is part of a seven article report -- Food for thought: Best bets in food & beverage stocks.

"The J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) is 'one sweet stock'," says growth stock expert Jonas Elmerraji. Here, the editor of The Rhino Stock Report looks at the consumer foods firm.

"The peanut butter and jelly sandwich has been a staple of our diets here in the U.S. for a long time now. In fact, one survey estimated that the average American eats 1,500 PB&J sandwiches before graduating high school.

J.M. Smucker (NYSE: SJM) reported earnings for Q3 on Wednesday. The company, which makes defensive-type products such as peanut butter, jelly, and biscuits, reported a net sales increase of 6%, once you strip away the effect of acquisitions -- most notably the Folgers purchase -- and the effect of foreign exchange. On an adjusted basis, J.M. Smucker increased its bottom line by 11% to $0.88 per share. This source says that management beat estimates by two pennies, although other sources, such as this one, says the beat was by a single penny.

As we all know, the market is a fickle mistress -- and I will be the first to admit, she has humiliated me with her indiscretion on many occasions. However, I'm happy to report that my pick of The J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) as a "Cheap Stock" for 2009 has not completely blown up in my face (yet).

The peanut butter-based security jumped back on my radar today when I noticed that brokerage firm Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage of SJM with a Buy rating. Not too many analysts are currently following the shares; according to Zacks, the jam giant has garnered just two Strong Buys and one Hold. Any additional bullish initiations could help the stock extend its recent uptrend.

Well-known maker of peanut-butter and jelly products J.M. Smucker (NYSE: SJM) reported earnings for Q4 and the full fiscal year on Thursday. The market didn't like the report in the least. The stock closed down well over 8% at the end of yesterday's session.

Here's what happened. For the fourth quarter, net sales increased 20%, but that was little consolation to the bottom line, which dropped 11%, as earnings per diluted share came in at $0.67 versus $0.75 in the year-ago period. The top line also was the beneficiary of some inorganic growth based on acquisitions. If you adjust for certain items, bringing the earnings up to $0.73 per diluted share, the decrease in the bottom line improves to 3%, but a decline in this case is still a decline. Plus, earnings expectations were not met. The company came in five pennies shy of Wall Street's wishes, according to estimates posted at earnings.com.

For the fiscal year, J.M Smucker's top line increased 18%, also due in part to acquisitions. On both a reported and an adjusted basis, earnings per diluted share jumped 9% to $3.00. Margins really suffered during the quarter and the year. Input costs are inflating, and they're becoming difficult to manage.

Folgers has created some great brand messages, including the classic, "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup."

Well, this morning, we got another message. P&G (NYSE: PG) will merge the Folgers unit into the operations of The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM). The deal comes to about $3 billion.

P&G, which has owned Folgers for more than 45 years, has been actively shopping the deal. All in all, the transaction looks smart. It's an all-stock arrangement and, as a result, is tax-free to all parties. Smucker will also issue a $5 per share special dividend.

The J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM) spooned out some healthy numbers for their first quarter 2008 ending July 31st. Benefiting, no doubt, from the disappearance of competing peanut butter brand Peter Pan from store shelves after it was found contaminated with salmonella, Smucker's brand Jif was one of the leading contributors in bringing home net income of $40.8 million, or $0.71 per share, well above analyst estimates of $0.65. The earnings were 42% above 2007 same quarter.

Almost half of the earnings, however, came from the recently-acquired Eagle brand businesses, on a volume of $43.5 million. Other Smuckers brands showing strong performance for the quarter were Crisco, Pillsbury and Uncrustables.

The results suggest the company is on track to continue its growth, up to $157 million on sales of $2.1 billion in 2007 and up 70% in shareholder return since 2002.

Looking forward, the company may find the Eagle brands impacted by sharply rising milk prices, and since approximately 20% of Smucker's sales are to Wal-Mart, that company's fortunes can affect Smucker's bottom line. Also, Peter Pan is resuming sales after a six-month hiatus, which could impact sales.

Nonetheless, with a strong stable of American staples and consistent recent success, Smucker is worth a look in a tumultuous market.