Boston Trust Walden Corp Buys 18,346 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 656,337 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,346 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 0.24% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $50,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 7.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,315,905 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,260,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,706 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 58.2% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,544,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,115,000 after buying an additional 568,276 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2,778.8% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 456,920 shares of the company's stock worth $37,606,000 after acquiring an additional 441,048 shares during the period. Covea Finance purchased a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,740,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 321.2% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 449,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,298,000 after acquiring an additional 343,070 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company's stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

MKC traded up $1.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.43. The stock had a trading volume of 1,310,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,021,980. The business has a 50-day moving average of $76.69 and a 200-day moving average of $78.29. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a one year low of $64.33 and a one year high of $85.49. 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 cap of $21.03 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.75.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.03. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. This is a positive change from McCormick & Company, Incorporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 30th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's payout ratio is presently 61.43%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.34, for a total transaction of $386,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 28,217 shares in the company, valued at $2,182,302.78. This trade represents a 15.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 22.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MKC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $86.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $91.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, McCormick & Company, Incorporated has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $83.75.

About McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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.