The J. M. Smucker Company Announces 8% Dividend Increase and Annual Meeting Date
ORRVILLE, Ohio, April 15, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) today announced that the Board of Directors has approved an increase in the quarterly dividend from $0.25 to $0.27 per common share. The dividend is payable on June 1, 2005 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 16, 2005.
The Company also announced that its annual meeting of shareholders will be held on Friday, August 19, 2005. Shareholders of record at the close of business on June 20, 2005 will be entitled to notice of the annual meeting and to vote on matters considered at the meeting.
About The J. M. Smucker Company
The J. M. Smucker Company ( www.smuckers.com ) was founded in 1897 when the Company's namesake and founder sold his first product -- apple butter -- from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. Today, over a century later, the Company is the market leader in fruit spreads, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, and health and natural foods beverages in North America under such icon brands as Smucker's(R), Jif(R) and Crisco(R). In June 2004, the Company expanded its family of products to include such brands as Pillsbury(R) baking mixes and ready-to-spread frostings; Hungry Jack(R) pancake mixes, syrups and potato side dishes, and Martha White(R) baking mixes and ingredients in the US, along with Robin Hood(R) flour and baking mixes, and Bick's(R) pickles and condiments in Canada. For over 107 years, The J. M. Smucker Company has been headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, and has been family run for four generations. Since the 1998 inception of FORTUNE Magazine's annual survey of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, The J. M. Smucker Company has consistently been recognized as one of the top 25 companies to work for in the United States. The J. M. Smucker Company has over 3,500 employees worldwide and distributes products in more than 45 countries.
The J. M. Smucker Company Forward-Looking Language
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Other risks and uncertainties that may materially affect the Company are detailed from time to time in the respective reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Forms 10-Q, 10-K, and 8-K.
SOURCE J. M. Smucker Company
Investors, Mark R. Belgya, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, or George G. Sent, Jr., Director, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations, or Media, Maribeth Badertscher, Manager, Corporate Communications of The J. M. Smucker Company +1-330-682-3000
