Clean Yield Group Increases Stock Holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Clean Yield Group increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,532 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,217 shares during the period. McCormick & Company, Incorporated accounts for about 1.8% of Clean Yield Group's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Clean Yield Group's holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $5,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKC. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 44.3% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 17,728 shares of the company's stock worth $1,256,000 after acquiring an additional 5,443 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 98.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 46,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,302,000 after buying an additional 23,033 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 25,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,804,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 10.5% during the second quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,915 shares of the company's stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Finally, Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 72.6% during the second quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 9,058 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 3,810 shares during the last quarter. 79.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $86.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America raised their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised McCormick & Company, Incorporated to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $81.50.

Insider Transactions at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.33, for a total value of $391,650.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 28,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,210,237.61. The trade was a 15.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,565,850. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company's stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of MKC stock traded down $0.18 on Monday, hitting $71.21. The stock had a trading volume of 3,305,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,823,266. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a one year low of $63.88 and a one year high of $85.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $77.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.89. The company has a market cap of $19.11 billion, a PE ratio of 24.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. This is a positive change from McCormick & Company, Incorporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's payout ratio is currently 61.22%.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Profile

McCormick & Company, Incorporated manufactures, markets, and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments, and other flavorful products to the food industry. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Flavor Solutions. The Consumer segment offers spices, herbs, and seasonings, as well as condiments and sauces, and desserts.