Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
You can invest in Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) by buying shares or fractional shares at any major US broker, through a consumer-staples or agriculture ETF that holds it, or as one holding in a thematic basket. Scotts is the leading branded lawn and garden company in North America, selling the Scotts, Miracle-Gro, Ortho, and Roundup consumer brands through retailers like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart. In April 2026 it divested its Hawthorne indoor and hydroponic-gardening supplies unit to Vireo Growth, refocusing the company on its core U.S. lawn and garden business. The single most important thing to understand is that this is a highly seasonal, weather-sensitive, retailer-concentrated consumer business whose results hinge on the spring selling season and a healthy consumer.
SMG stock price
As of 2026-07-14, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG) last closed at $63.43, down 8.2% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $52.38 and $70.52.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The's investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG) do?
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the dominant branded marketer of consumer lawn and garden products in North America, with roughly $3.4 billion in annual sales and a portfolio of household names including Scotts, Miracle-Gro, Ortho, Tomcat, and the consumer Roundup brand it markets under license. Its products span grass seed, fertilizers, soils, growing media, controls, and pest and weed treatments sold largely through big-box retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart. Because most of the business happens in a compressed spring and early-summer window, Scotts is intensely seasonal and weather-dependent: a cold, wet spring can dent a whole year, while good weather and an engaged do-it-yourself consumer lift the entire category.
The defining recent event is the April 9, 2026 sale of The Hawthorne Gardening Company, its indoor, hydroponic, and cannabis-cultivation supplies business, to Vireo Growth in exchange for Vireo equity and warrants rather than cash. That exit ends a multi-year drag from the collapse of the cannabis-cultivation boom and refocuses Scotts on its core U.S. lawn and garden franchise. In fiscal Q2 2026 the company reported sales of about $1.46 billion and net income of roughly $239 million, reaffirmed fiscal 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance in the low $4 range, and paired a roughly $500 million share-repurchase program with an SMG 2.0 plan targeting about $1 billion of incremental sales by 2030. Nate Baxter was named president and CEO. The investment picture combines brand strength and improving cash flow against a heavy historical debt load, retailer concentration, and weather risk.
What's driving Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG)?
1. Refocus after the Hawthorne exit
Selling Hawthorne to Vireo Growth removes a business that swung wildly with the cannabis-cultivation cycle and had weighed on margins and write-downs for years. The company now concentrates capital and management attention on its core, higher-return U.S. lawn and garden brands. The trade-off is that Scotts took Vireo equity rather than cash, so realized value depends on how that stake performs over time.
2. Brand moat and retail distribution
Scotts, Miracle-Gro, and Ortho are category-leading brands with shelf space and retailer relationships that are hard for smaller rivals to replicate. That scale supports pricing power and marketing reach in a fragmented lawn and garden market. The flip side is heavy dependence on a handful of big-box customers, so shelf decisions, private-label pressure, or a weak retail season can move results quickly.
3. SMG 2.0 growth and cash-return plan
Management's SMG 2.0 program targets roughly $1 billion of incremental sales by 2030 through innovation, marketing, and category expansion, alongside a share-repurchase authorization of about $500 million and free-cash-flow generation used to pay down debt. Delivering on both growth and deleveraging at once is the crux of the bull case, and execution against those targets is what investors will watch.
4. Seasonal cash flow and dividend
Scotts throws off most of its cash in a concentrated spring window and pays a meaningful quarterly dividend, recently $0.66 per share. That seasonal, cash-generative profile can support capital returns and debt reduction in good years. But because sell-through is compressed into a few months, a poor spring or a pullback in consumer spending can pressure both cash flow and the flexibility to fund the dividend and buyback comfortably.
What are the risks to Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG)?
The biggest risk is seasonality and weather: the bulk of sales occur in spring, so a cold, wet, or drought-stricken season can hurt a full fiscal year with little chance to recover. Retailer concentration is a structural risk because a large share of revenue flows through a few big-box chains, leaving Scotts exposed to their inventory decisions, shelf choices, and private-label competition. The historical debt load, built up partly during the Hawthorne expansion, still needs to come down, and rising input or commodity costs can squeeze margins. Consumer discretionary spending on lawn and garden projects softens in downturns. Finally, the Hawthorne sale was paid in Vireo equity rather than cash, so the ultimate value Scotts realizes depends on a volatile, small-cap cannabis stock outside its control.
How is Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG) valued? (approximate, Jul 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The's investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue scale: Roughly $3.4 billion in annual sales; fiscal Q2 2026 sales were about $1.46 billion, reflecting the seasonally strongest quarter
- Profitability: Fiscal Q2 2026 net income was roughly $239 million with reported EPS around $4.53, though earnings are heavily concentrated in the spring quarter
- Full-year guidance: Company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance in the low-$4 range and free cash flow around the mid-hundreds of millions
- Balance sheet: Carries a meaningful debt load that management is working to reduce, a legacy of prior Hawthorne-era expansion
- Capital returns: Pays a quarterly dividend (recently $0.66 per share) and authorized a share-repurchase program of roughly $500 million
- Market value: Mid-cap consumer name; market capitalization has been in the low-single-digit billions, so it trades smaller than many household-brand peers
Figures are approximate, qualitative, and tied to the asOf date; verify live numbers before acting. Scotts is intensely seasonal, so a single quarter, especially the spring one, overstates run-rate profitability, and full-year EPS is the more meaningful lens. Valuation multiples should be weighed against the debt load and the fact that the Hawthorne sale was settled in Vireo equity rather than cash, which adds an uncertain, mark-to-market element to the company's value.
Who competes with Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG)?
Branded lawn, garden, and pet-and-garden rivals
Central Garden & Pet and Spectrum Brands (through its home and garden lines such as Spectracide and Cutter) compete across fertilizers, controls, and outdoor products. These are the closest branded competitors for retail shelf space, though none matches Scotts' scale in core lawn care.
Seed, growing-media, and specialty suppliers
Lebanon Seaboard (Pennington), Sun Gro Horticulture, FoxFarm, and other growing-media and seed specialists compete in specific categories like grass seed and soils. Many are private or niche, competing on price or specialty positioning rather than broad brand reach.
Private label and retailer brands
Big-box and mass retailers increasingly offer private-label lawn and garden lines that undercut branded products on price. Because Scotts sells largely through those same retailers, their own-brand programs are both a channel dependency and a competitive threat to volume and margin.
How to invest in Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG)
There are three common ways to get SMG exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so SMG sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where SMG fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
The bottom line on Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The (SMG)
Scotts Miracle-Gro is a focused bet on North American lawn and garden consumption after shedding its Hawthorne cannabis-supply unit, with a strong brand moat, a seasonal cash-flow profile, and a debt-reduction and buyback story; the question is how much weather and consumer sensitivity fits your portfolio.
Build a basket around SMG with Walnut
Use Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
Is SMG a good stock to buy right now?
+
That depends on your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance, and this is not investment advice. The bull case is a refocused, brand-led lawn and garden leader after the Hawthorne exit, with a buyback, a solid dividend, and an SMG 2.0 growth plan. The bear case is heavy seasonality and weather risk, retailer concentration, a historical debt load, and the fact that the Hawthorne sale was paid in volatile Vireo equity. Weigh both against your portfolio.
What does Scotts Miracle-Gro actually do?
+
Scotts is the leading branded consumer lawn and garden company in North America. It markets grass seed, fertilizers, soils, growing media, and pest and weed controls under names like Scotts, Miracle-Gro, Ortho, and the consumer Roundup brand, sold mainly through big-box retailers. Most of its sales happen in the spring and early-summer gardening season.
Did Scotts Miracle-Gro sell its cannabis business?
+
Yes. On April 9, 2026 Scotts completed the sale of The Hawthorne Gardening Company, its indoor, hydroponic, and cannabis-cultivation supplies unit, to Vireo Growth. Scotts received Vireo equity and warrants rather than cash. The move exits a business that had struggled since the cannabis-cultivation boom faded and refocuses the company on its core lawn and garden brands.
Why is Scotts Miracle-Gro's business so seasonal?
+
Lawn and garden activity is concentrated in spring and early summer, when consumers plant, fertilize, and treat their yards. As a result, most of Scotts' annual sales and profits land in a few months, and the fiscal second quarter is by far the strongest. A cold, wet, or dry spring can hurt an entire fiscal year with little time to recover.
Does Scotts Miracle-Gro pay a dividend?
+
Yes. Scotts pays a quarterly cash dividend, recently $0.66 per share, and has a long history of returning cash to shareholders. Because the business is seasonal and carries debt, the sustainability of the dividend depends on cash flow and deleveraging progress. Always check the latest declared dividend and yield before assuming any payout.
What is the SMG 2.0 plan?
+
SMG 2.0 is management's growth and efficiency program that targets roughly $1 billion of incremental sales by 2030 through product innovation, marketing, and category expansion. It runs alongside a share-repurchase authorization of about $500 million and continued debt reduction. Delivering growth and deleveraging together is central to the bull case, so execution against those goals matters.
Who are Scotts Miracle-Gro's main competitors?
+
Its closest branded rivals are Central Garden & Pet and Spectrum Brands' home and garden lines. Seed and growing-media specialists like Lebanon Seaboard (Pennington), Sun Gro, and FoxFarm compete in specific categories, and retailer private-label brands compete on price. None matches Scotts' overall scale in core lawn care, but the market is fragmented and competitive.
How can I get exposure to Scotts Miracle-Gro through an ETF?
+
SMG appears in various consumer-staples, agriculture, and broad small- and mid-cap ETFs, where it sits among branded consumer and materials names. ETF exposure spreads single-stock risk across many holdings but dilutes how much any Scotts move affects you. Always check a fund's holdings and weighting before assuming meaningful exposure to Scotts specifically.
What are the main risks of investing in SMG?
+
The central risks are seasonality and weather, since most sales occur in spring, and retailer concentration, since a few big-box chains drive much of revenue. A historical debt load still needs reducing, input costs can squeeze margins, and consumer spending on gardening softens in downturns. The Hawthorne sale was also paid in Vireo equity rather than cash, so its realized value depends on a volatile stock outside Scotts' control.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (The's investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.