Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 488 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 26,150 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 488 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $1,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKC. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 165.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other news, Director Margaret M. V. Preston sold 28,092 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.03, for a total transaction of $2,163,926.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $475,814.31. This trade represents a 81.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 23.80% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock opened at $81.90 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $77.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.89. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $66.88 and a 12 month high of $86.24. The company has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 27.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.03. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 14.89%. Analysts expect that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MKC shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $86.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McCormick & Company, Incorporated currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.75.

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.