Axa S.A. Purchases 5,603 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Axa S.A. increased its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 177,000 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,603 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A. owned 0.07% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $13,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,737,310 shares of the company's stock worth $2,419,653,000 after buying an additional 303,973 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,024,666 shares of the company's stock valued at $458,114,000 after purchasing an additional 137,679 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,693,239 shares of the company's stock worth $281,573,000 after purchasing an additional 531,060 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 3,530,972 shares of the company's stock worth $269,060,000 after purchasing an additional 326,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,215,030 shares of the company's stock valued at $245,114,000 after buying an additional 190,856 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company's stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Down 0.9 %

MKC stock opened at $75.35 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $78.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.67. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $66.88 and a 52 week high of $86.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.74.

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus lowered shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. TD Cowen raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $86.00 to $90.00 in a report 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 company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McCormick & Company, Incorporated currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.14.

Insider Transactions at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In related news, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total value of $223,905.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $184,497.72. This trade represents a 54.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Margaret M. V. Preston sold 28,092 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.03, for a total transaction of $2,163,926.76. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $475,814.31. The trade was a 81.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 80,842 shares of company stock valued at $6,478,332 in the last 90 days. 23.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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