McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $79.57.

Several research firms have recently commented on MKC. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock traded up $1.82 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $77.13. 2,101,321 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,907,271. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $63.67 and a 1 year high of $85.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $79.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.22.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 11.87%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 2.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. This is an increase from McCormick & Company, Incorporated's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 30th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio is 57.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.33, for a total transaction of $391,650.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 28,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,210,237.61. This trade represents a 15.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,565,850 over the last 90 days. 22.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of McCormick & Company, Incorporated

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 87.5% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 375 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company's stock.

About McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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.