McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Shares Sold by Mather Group LLC.

Mather Group LLC. lessened its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 174,134 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,241 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $13,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,349 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 7.0% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 51,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,225,000 after buying an additional 3,366 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 23.9% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 55,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,576,000 after buying an additional 10,734 shares during the period. Davis Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the third quarter valued at $223,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group increased its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 11.5% in the third quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 68,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,622,000 after buying an additional 7,030 shares in the last quarter. 79.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

Shares of MKC opened at $78.03 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.75. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52-week low of $64.33 and a 52-week high of $85.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.25.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.03. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. Research analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 30th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 30th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.75.

Insider Activity

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, Director Michael D. Mangan sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.00, for a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 40,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,194,444. This trade represents a 11.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 22.90% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Company Profile

McCormick & Co, Inc engages in the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of spices, seasoning mixes, condiments, and other flavorful products to retail outlets, food manufacturers, and foodservice businesses. It operates through the Consumer and Flavor Solutions segments. The Consumer segment sells spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces.