Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 238,224 McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 238,224 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,162,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.09% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKC. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 79.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

Shares of MKC stock traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $73.33. 891,934 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,041,980. 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 has a 12-month low of $66.88 and a 12-month high of $86.24. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $75.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.14. The company has a market capitalization of $19.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.03, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 7th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's payout ratio is 61.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Argus downgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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 McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 247,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,242,820.97. The trade was a 16.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Katherine Jenkins sold 7,642 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total transaction of $583,695.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 60,392 shares of company stock valued at $4,898,101 over the last three months. 23.80% of the stock is owned by company 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.