KCM Investment Advisors LLC Sells 1,386 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

KCM Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,947 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,386 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $2,588,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKC. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 13.4% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,019 shares of the company’s stock valued at $907,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter valued at $559,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.6% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 311,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,752 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 48.0% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 8,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 45.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,005 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. 79.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity 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 transaction, the director now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total transaction of $223,905.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,497.72. This represents a 54.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 80,842 shares of company stock valued at $6,478,332. 23.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

Shares of MKC opened at $76.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $20.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.06, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.71. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a twelve month low of $66.88 and a twelve month high of $86.24. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $79.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.72.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported $0.60 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 the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s payout ratio is presently 61.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays dropped their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $86.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Argus cut McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.14.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated 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.