Aviva PLC Sells 3,759 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Aviva PLC reduced its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 191,762 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,759 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.07% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $14,620,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKC. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Twin Tree Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Margaret M. V. Preston sold 28,092 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,177 shares in the company, valued at $475,814.31. The trade was a 81.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total value of $223,905.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at $184,497.72. This represents a 54.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 80,842 shares of company stock worth $6,478,332 in the last quarter. 23.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Up 0.4 %

MKC traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $75.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,826,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,949,085. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $79.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.29. 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 company has a market cap of $20.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12-month low of $66.88 and a 12-month high of $86.24.

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 7th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio is 61.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKC. Barclays lowered 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. TD Cowen raised shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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, Argus downgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.14.

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.