Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for SMG Earnings

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note issued on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the basic materials company will earn $3.91 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.90. The consensus estimate for Scotts Miracle-Gro’s current full-year earnings is $3.42 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Scotts Miracle-Gro’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.86 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($1.79) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($0.69) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $4.10 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.86 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($1.69) EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at ($0.72) EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.66 EPS.

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, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.04) by $0.27. The company had revenue of $354.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.25 million. Scotts Miracle-Gro had a net margin of 2.68% and a negative return on equity of 68.59%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.89) earnings per share. Scotts Miracle-Gro has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.150-4.35 EPS.

SMG has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $70.00 price objective on Scotts Miracle-Gro and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Scotts Miracle-Gro from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Scotts Miracle-Gro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Scotts Miracle-Gro presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.00.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of SMG opened at $69.81 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.39. Scotts Miracle-Gro has a 52-week low of $45.61 and a 52-week high of $70.75. The company has a market capitalization of $4.05 billion, a PE ratio of 47.49 and a beta of 1.98.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Scotts Miracle-Gro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 179.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.40, for a total value of $3,320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,167,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $874,331,362.40. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 24.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Scotts Miracle-Gro

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SMG. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 254,087 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,826,000 after acquiring an additional 51,738 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 50.5% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 129,847 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,505,000 after buying an additional 43,571 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in Scotts Miracle-Gro in the 4th quarter worth about $286,000. Man Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Scotts Miracle-Gro by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 44,389 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,590,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interval Partners LP grew its position in Scotts Miracle-Gro by 82.3% in the 4th quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 807,061 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,092,000 after purchasing an additional 364,285 shares during the period. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Scotts Miracle-Gro

Here are the key news stories impacting Scotts Miracle-Gro this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks materially raised its FY2028 EPS view to $4.66 (from $4.21), signaling stronger longer‑term expectations that could support a higher valuation multiple. MarketBeat: SMG
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks bumped FY2026 EPS modestly to $4.21 (from $4.16), and raised a few near‑term quarterly estimates (Q1 2027 to ($0.69) and Q1 2028 to ($0.72) from deeper losses), which reduces near‑term downside risk. MarketBeat: SMG
• Neutral Sentiment: Small upward tweak to Q2 2026 (to $3.91 from $3.90) — immaterial by itself but consistent with Zacks’ mixed, quarter‑by‑quarter view. MarketBeat: SMG
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut several mid‑year and near‑term quarters: Q3 2026 down to $2.86 (from $3.00), Q3 2027 down to $2.86 (from $2.96), and Q2 2027 down to $4.10 (from $4.27) — these reductions signal softer seasonal/recurring strength than previously expected. MarketBeat: SMG
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 2026 estimate was lowered to a larger loss (to ($1.79) from ($1.65)), and Zacks trimmed FY2027 to $4.58 (from $4.68) — these downward moves increase the risk to short‑term earnings and guidance credibility. MarketBeat: SMG

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.