Barclays PLC Lowers Holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Barclays PLC lessened its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 26.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 636,653 shares of the company's stock after selling 232,354 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.24% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $48,540,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MKC. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton purchased a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus cut McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McCormick & Company, Incorporated has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.14.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:MKC traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $76.38. The company had a trading volume of 356,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,954,618. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $79.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.98. The company has a market capitalization of $20.48 billion, a PE ratio of 26.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $66.88 and a 52 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.04). McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. 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.