19,908 Shares in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Purchased by Two Sigma Investments LP

Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 19,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,518,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 43.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 13,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 87,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,699,000 after acquiring an additional 12,356 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 656,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,039,000 after acquiring an additional 18,346 shares during the period. Finally, Optas LLC boosted its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares during the period. 79.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

Shares of MKC opened at $73.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $66.88 and a 1 year high of $86.24.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last announced 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 company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.61 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. On average, analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.86%.

Insider Transactions at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other news, 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 owns 2,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,497.72. This trade represents a 54.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 247,437 shares in the company, valued at $20,242,820.97. This trade represents a 16.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Argus cut McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.14.

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.