McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Shares Acquired by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 3,162.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 167,580 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 162,444 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $12,776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,040 shares of the company's stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 43,002 shares of the company's stock worth $3,278,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 12,536 shares of the company's stock worth $954,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. 79.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

NYSE:MKC traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $74.79. 1,975,826 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,963,445. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $78.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.65. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52-week low of $66.88 and a 52-week high of $86.24. The company has a market cap of $20.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.61 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 7th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total transaction of $223,905.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,266 shares in the company, valued at $184,497.72. The trade was a 54.82 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.81, for a total value of $4,090,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 247,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,242,820.97. This trade represents a 16.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 80,842 shares of company stock worth $6,478,332. 23.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKC has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus cut McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.14.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated 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.