McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Shares Purchased by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 69.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,548 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,945 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $1,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKC. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company's stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKC traded down $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.66. 535,620 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,029,307. The company has a market cap of $19.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.43, 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $76.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.22. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12-month low of $66.88 and a 12-month high of $86.24.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Argus downgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 247,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,242,820.97. The trade was a 16.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total transaction of $223,905.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,266 shares in the company, valued at $184,497.72. This represents a 54.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 60,392 shares of company stock worth $4,898,101 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 23.80% of the company's stock.

About McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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.