McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Shares Sold by Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.

Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. lessened its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,023 shares of the company’s stock after selling 910 shares during the period. McCormick & Company, Incorporated comprises 0.2% of Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $1,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth $830,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth about $833,000. Clean Yield Group boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 75,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,759,000 after buying an additional 7,217 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 54,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,169,000 after buying an additional 3,342 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs & Co. CA increased its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 149,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,411,000 after acquiring an additional 3,020 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 28,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,210,237.61. This represents a 15.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $1,565,850 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

MKC stock opened at $71.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $19.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.71. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $63.88 and a 1 year high of $85.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.89.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 30th were given a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Company 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.