McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Shares Bought by Optas LLC

Optas LLC lifted its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 16.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,990 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wallington Asset Management LLC grew its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 4,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 12,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel grew its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.1% during the third quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 8,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 20,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 19,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. 79.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.34, for a total value of $386,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 28,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,182,302.78. This represents a 15.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 22.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of MKC opened at $76.89 on Wednesday. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a twelve month low of $64.33 and a twelve month high of $85.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.24, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.28.

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 30th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 30th. This is a positive change from McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s payout ratio is currently 61.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McCormick & Company, Incorporated has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.75.

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.