Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Increases Stock Position in McKesson Co. (NYSE:MCK)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its position in McKesson Co. (NYSE:MCK) by 3,345.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 758 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in McKesson were worth $432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in McKesson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in McKesson in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in McKesson in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in McKesson during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Graney & King LLC bought a new position in McKesson in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 85.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brian S. Tyler sold 8,961 shares of McKesson stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $597.99, for a total value of $5,358,588.39. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,276,465.36. The trade was a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Leann B. Smith sold 188 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.59, for a total value of $114,602.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $640,679.09. This represents a 15.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,110 shares of company stock valued at $10,855,706 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

McKesson Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of MCK opened at $682.41 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $85.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.49. McKesson Co. has a twelve month low of $464.42 and a twelve month high of $728.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $633.37 and a 200 day moving average of $585.92.

McKesson (NYSE:MCK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $8.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.60 by ($0.57). McKesson had a net margin of 0.82% and a negative return on equity of 181.26%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that McKesson Co. will post 32.77 EPS for the current year.

McKesson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. McKesson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of McKesson from $642.00 to $745.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on McKesson from $641.00 to $691.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Mizuho lifted their price target on McKesson from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI upped their price target on McKesson from $650.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered McKesson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $661.00.

McKesson Profile

McKesson Corporation provides healthcare services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Pharmaceutical, Prescription Technology Solutions (RxTS), Medical-Surgical Solutions, and International. The U.S. Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded, generic, specialty, biosimilar and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs, and other healthcare-related products.