Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,792 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 39.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,320 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,792 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $558,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Twin Tree Management LP acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 79.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MKC. 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 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. Finally, Argus lowered McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McCormick & Company, Incorporated presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.14.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of MKC traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $74.13. 2,054,160 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,007,115. The company has a market cap of $19.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.74 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.45.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.86%.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In related news, insider Katherine Jenkins sold 7,642 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.38, for a total transaction of $583,695.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owns 247,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,242,820.97. This represents a 16.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 60,392 shares of company stock valued at $4,898,101. Corporate 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.