Natixis Decreases Holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Natixis trimmed its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Free Report) by 76.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,949 shares of the company's stock after selling 91,719 shares during the period. Natixis' holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $2,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MKC. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,626 shares of the company's stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 5,040 shares of the company's stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,402 shares of the company's stock worth $641,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 43,002 shares of the company's stock worth $3,278,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 12,536 shares of the company's stock worth $954,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 79.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, Director Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.81, for a total transaction of $4,090,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 247,437 shares in the company, valued at $20,242,820.97. The trade was a 16.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 54.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 80,842 shares of company stock worth $6,478,332. 23.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

Shares of MKC stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $74.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,256,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,959,944. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $79.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $66.88 and a 12 month high of $86.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75.

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.86%.

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.