McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Position Boosted by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 17.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,641,812 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 396,214 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned about 0.99% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $201,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,626 shares of the company's stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,040 shares of the company's stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 12,536 shares of the company's stock valued at $954,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 9,906 shares of the company's stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company's stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE:MKC traded up $1.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $75.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 976,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,949,450. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $79.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.31. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a twelve month low of $66.88 and a twelve month high of $86.24. The stock has a market cap of $20.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.73% and a return on equity of 14.89%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's payout ratio is 61.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on MKC shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Argus cut McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Margaret M. V. Preston sold 28,092 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.03, for a total transaction of $2,163,926.76. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,177 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $475,814.31. The trade was a 81.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total value of $223,905.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $184,497.72. This trade represents a 54.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 80,842 shares of company stock worth $6,478,332. 23.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.