Axa S.A. Grows Position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

AXA S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 177,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,603 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned approximately 0.07% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $13,494,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 8.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 308,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,423,000 after buying an additional 25,278 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 21,507 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,641,000 after buying an additional 1,955 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 24.9% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 7,670 shares of the company's stock valued at $585,000 after buying an additional 1,530 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 149,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,411,000 after buying an additional 3,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 54,680 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,169,000 after buying an additional 3,342 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on 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 lowered 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 given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McCormick & Company, Incorporated presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.14.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

Shares of MKC stock traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $76.10. 1,490,324 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,974,140. 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 firm has a market cap of $20.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.58. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $66.88 and a fifty-two week high of $86.24.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 7th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.86%.

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.