BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 37,299 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 527,230 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,299 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.20% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $40,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at $8,222,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3,162.9% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 167,580 shares of the company's stock worth $12,776,000 after acquiring an additional 162,444 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. raised its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 177,000 shares of the company's stock worth $13,494,000 after purchasing an additional 5,603 shares during the period. Advanced Portfolio Management LLC bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,328,000. Finally, DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP grew its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 14,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. 79.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus downgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.14.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, Director Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the director now directly owns 247,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,242,820.97. This trade represents a 16.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.03, for a total transaction of $2,163,926.76. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 80,842 shares of company stock worth $6,478,332 in the last ninety days. 23.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MKC traded down $2.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $74.32. 841,185 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,971,224. 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $77.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's payout ratio is currently 61.86%.

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.