McCormick & Company, Incorporated $MKC Shares Purchased by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 24.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,607 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,711 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $3,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MKC. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,232,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,494,544 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,797,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,124,003 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,522,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,038,632,000 after purchasing an additional 747,844 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 3rd quarter worth $48,576,000. Finally, Scopus Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 191.0% in the 3rd quarter. Scopus Asset Management L.P. now owns 885,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,232,000 after acquiring an additional 581,017 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $58.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. HSBC reduced their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $69.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $83.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.27.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MKC opened at $51.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $13.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.71. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $47.52 and a 12 month high of $78.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.45.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 23.12% and a return on equity of 13.29%. The business had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.48%.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In related news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $335,450.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 31,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,119,775.64. This trade represents a 13.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael D. Mangan sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.92, for a total transaction of $339,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,029 shares in the company, valued at $2,922,529.68. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 65,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,575,800 over the last three months. Insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Profile

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE: MKC) is a global leader in spices, seasonings and flavor solutions. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, the company traces its origins to the late 19th century and has grown into a major manufacturer and marketer of branded and private‑label flavor products for consumer, industrial and foodservice markets.

McCormick’s product portfolio includes pure spices and herbs, blended seasonings, marinades, rubs, sauces, extracts and specialty flavorings, along with ingredient systems and custom flavor development for manufacturers and foodservice operators.