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Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG)
NYSE:SMG
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Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG) AI Stock Analysis

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SMG

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

(NYSE:SMG)

Rating:50Neutral
Price Target:
$62.00
▼(-0.27% Downside)
Scotts Miracle-Gro's overall stock score reflects significant financial challenges, including high leverage and declining revenue, offset by positive cash flow and strategic improvements highlighted in the earnings call. The technical analysis and valuation suggest caution, with mixed signals and a high P/E ratio indicating potential overvaluation.
Positive Factors
Earnings
Scotts Miracle-Gro's fiscal third-quarter sales and EBITDA were above forecasts.
Financial Performance
Solid demand trends, coupled with expanding margins and balance sheet improvement, position the business to achieve its midterm operating and financial plans.
Market Position
Scotts Miracle-Gro is seen as a strong consumer franchise with a significant market share of approximately 50% in the domestic market.
Negative Factors
Financial Leverage
Net leverage remains elevated, and tightening covenants are ahead.
Revenue Guidance
The updated U.S. consumer revenue guidance cadence is viewed negatively, likely underscoring channel inventory risk.
Trading Multiple
Scotts Miracle-Gro's trading multiple is penalized by the company’s high level of financial leverage and uncertainty around its cannabis-exposed businesses.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionThe Scotts Miracle-Gro Company engages in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of products for lawn, garden care, and indoor and hydroponic gardening in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Consumer, Hawthorne, and Other. It provides lawn care products comprising lawn fertilizers, grass seed products, spreaders, other durable products, and outdoor cleaners, as well as lawn-related weed, pest, and disease control products; gardening and landscape products include water-soluble and continuous-release plant foods, potting mixes and garden soils, mulch and decorative groundcover products, plant-related pest and disease control products, organic garden products, and lives goods and seeding solutions. The company also offers hydroponic products that help users to grow plants, flowers, and vegetables using little or no soil; lighting systems and components for use in hydroponic and indoor gardening applications; insect, rodent, and weed control products for home areas; and non-selective weed killer products. It sells its products under the Scotts, Turf Builder, EZ Seed, PatchMaster, Thick'R Lawn, GrubEx, EdgeGuard, Handy Green II, Miracle-Gro, LiquaFeed, Osmocote, Shake 'N Feed, Hyponex, Earthgro, SuperSoil, Fafard, Nature Scapes, Ortho, Miracle-Gro Performance Organics, Miracle-Gro Organic Choice, Whitney Farms, EcoScraps, Mother Earth, Botanicare, Hydroponics, Vermicrop, Gavita, Agrolux, Can-Filters, Sun System, Gro Pro, Hurricane, AeroGarden, Titan, Tomcat, Ortho Weed B Gon, Roundup, Groundclear, and Alchemist brands. The company serves home centers, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs, large hardware chains, independent hardware stores, nurseries, garden centers, e-commerce platforms, and food and drug stores, as well as indoor gardening and hydroponic distributors, retailers, and growers. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company was founded in 1868 and is headquartered in Marysville, Ohio.
How the Company Makes MoneyScotts Miracle-Gro generates revenue through several key streams, primarily from the sale of consumer and professional gardening products. The consumer segment, which includes products sold through retail channels, represents a significant portion of its revenue. Additionally, SMG earns income from its professional segment, which supplies products to landscape professionals and agricultural customers. The company also benefits from strategic partnerships with major retailers like Home Depot and Walmart, which help to enhance product visibility and distribution. Seasonal demand, driven by gardening trends and weather conditions, also plays a crucial role in influencing sales. Furthermore, the company invests in innovation and marketing to expand its product offerings and maintain competitive advantages, contributing to its overall revenue growth.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Jul 30, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: -8.38%|
Next Earnings Date:Nov 05, 2025
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The earnings call reflects a strong performance overall, with significant gains in market share, financial metrics, and strategic transformations in digital and product innovation. However, challenges such as weather impacts and the decline in the Hawthorne segment were noted, although they were mitigated by effective strategies and positive trends in other areas.
Q3-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Market Share and POS Growth
Scotts Miracle-Gro gained an additional 2% in market share, with POS units across categories up 8% for the year.
Financial Performance
Year-to-date, EBITDA increased by 9%, EPS rose by 24%, and leverage improved by more than 1.25 turns. Gross margin is above 30%.
Lawn Fertilizers and Regional Performance
Branded lawn fertilizers' POS units are up 1%, with Halts fertilizer product seeing a 25% unit increase and grass seed units up 16%. The Midwest region showed a 16% increase in POS units for the branded lawns portfolio.
E-commerce and Digital Strategy
E-commerce sales increased by 54% in online POS unit sales. A new mosquito control product sold out in one day on TikTok.
Innovation and Product Development
The R&D pipeline is strong with natural and organic solutions, with Miracle-Gro Organic representing about 1/5 of total soil sales and increasing.
Negative Updates
Weather Challenges
Weather challenges in early Q3 impacted the lawns business, with late-breaking spring in the Northeast and adverse weather in Texas.
Hawthorne Segment Decline
Hawthorne net sales were $31 million, down from $68 million in the prior year, though it has achieved three straight quarters of profitability.
Retail Inventory Adjustments
Retailers have modified replenishment activities, which has affected the sales curve and required adjustments in supply chain planning.
Company Guidance
In the Scotts Miracle-Gro's Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Webcast, the company reaffirmed its fiscal year 2025 guidance, highlighting strong performance across key financial metrics. U.S. consumer sales are on track with a guidance of low single-digit growth, while year-to-date EBITDA has increased by 9%, and EPS has risen by 24%. The company has improved its leverage by more than 1.25 turns and achieved a gross margin above 30%. Market share has increased by 2% over the previous year, with POS units up 8% year-to-date. Specific product categories also showed strong POS unit growth, including soils at 12%, mulch at 8%, and grass seed at 16%. The company is focused on transforming its business by enhancing internal efficiencies and shifting to outward-facing initiatives, aiming for sustained U.S. consumer sales growth of at least 3% per annum, a gross margin rate of 35% or higher, and EBITDA gains in the mid-to-high single-digit percentages.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Financial Statement Overview

Summary
The financial performance of Scotts Miracle-Gro is challenged by declining revenue, low profit margins, and financial instability with negative equity. Despite positive operating cash flow, the lack of growth and high debt pose significant risks.
Income Statement
45
Neutral
The company's TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) income statement shows mixed results. Gross profit margin stands at 27.9%, indicating a reasonable level of profitability, but net profit margin is low at 1.0%, suggesting that most of the revenue is consumed by other expenses. Revenue has decreased over recent periods, with a decline of 2.8% from the previous annual report, highlighting a need for growth strategies. EBIT and EBITDA margins are relatively low, at 8.0% and 9.2% respectively, pointing to challenges in operational efficiency.
Balance Sheet
30
Negative
The balance sheet reflects financial instability, with a negative stockholders' equity of $290.1 million, indicating more liabilities than assets. The debt-to-equity ratio cannot be calculated due to negative equity, but total debt is high at $2.55 billion. Despite this, the company has managed to maintain operations, possibly leveraging its assets which total $3.54 billion. Return on equity cannot be assessed due to negative equity, while the equity ratio is negative, underlining financial risk.
Cash Flow
50
Neutral
Cash flow statements show a positive operating cash flow of $449.3 million, indicating substantial cash generation from operations. Free cash flow is stable at $381.9 million, showing the company's ability to fund operations and capital expenditures. However, the free cash flow growth rate is negative when compared to previous period. The operating cash flow to net income ratio is strong, reflecting efficient cash conversion despite low net income.
BreakdownTTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue3.45B3.55B3.55B3.92B4.92B4.13B
Gross Profit964.80M850.50M657.30M982.60M1.49B1.35B
EBITDA317.60M215.80M-174.40M-336.90M845.80M684.90M
Net Income36.10M-34.90M-380.10M-437.50M512.50M387.40M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets3.54B2.87B3.41B4.30B4.80B3.38B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments16.90M71.60M31.90M86.80M244.10M16.60M
Total Debt2.55B2.52B2.91B3.27B2.60B1.68B
Total Liabilities3.83B3.26B3.68B4.15B3.79B2.68B
Stockholders Equity-290.10M-390.60M-267.30M147.70M1.01B702.90M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow381.90M583.50M438.20M-242.50M164.60M495.30M
Operating Cash Flow449.30M667.50M531.00M-129.00M271.50M558.00M
Investing Cash Flow-64.00M-100.40M-65.70M-283.20M-538.60M46.90M
Financing Cash Flow-432.80M-527.90M-520.10M255.30M494.00M-607.10M

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price62.17
Price Trends
50DMA
65.01
Negative
100DMA
60.07
Positive
200DMA
64.32
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-1.22
Positive
RSI
45.56
Neutral
STOCH
81.82
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For SMG, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 62.17 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 63.94, below the 50-day MA of 65.01, and below the 200-day MA of 64.32, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -1.22 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 45.56 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 81.82 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for SMG.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Risk Analysis

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company disclosed 42 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Scotts Miracle-Gro Company reported the most risks in the "Production" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (58)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
71
Outperform
$13.91B11.2324.98%2.33%9.53%36.15%
63
Neutral
$10.31B11.017.80%2.65%-7.71%297.49%
59
Neutral
$7.98B21.736.24%2.98%-1.22%-14.31%
58
Neutral
HK$18.47B5.20-7.29%3.70%-4.14%-48.91%
56
Neutral
$4.66B47.352.88%6.19%1.16%-92.85%
50
Neutral
$3.59B80.994.98%4.25%-2.05%
49
Neutral
$6.36M-87.18%-2.81%72.03%
* Basic Materials Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
SMG
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
62.17
-7.39
-10.62%
CF
Cf Industries Holdings
85.90
6.66
8.40%
FMC
FMC
37.46
-24.66
-39.70%
MOS
Mosaic Co
32.47
5.37
19.82%
ICL
Icl
6.18
1.99
47.49%
RKDA
Arcadia Biosciences
4.65
1.94
71.59%

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Corporate Events

Executive/Board ChangesBusiness Operations and Strategy
Scotts Miracle-Gro Appoints New Board Member Scott Miller
Neutral
Aug 5, 2025

On July 31, 2025, retired Lieutenant General John R. Vines announced his retirement from the Board of Directors of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, where he served for over 12 years. He will continue as an advisory Board member emeritus. Replacing him is retired U.S. Army General Scott Miller, effective August 1, 2025, who brings extensive military leadership experience and a strategic mindset to the Board. This change is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to bring fresh perspectives and skills to its leadership as it aims to transform into a consumer goods marketing powerhouse.

The most recent analyst rating on (SMG) stock is a Buy with a $80.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Scotts Miracle-Gro Company stock, see the SMG Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Aug 16, 2025