First Affirmative Financial Network Buys 243 Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

First Affirmative Financial Network grew its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,247 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton bought a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. 79.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In related news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 28,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,210,237.61. The trade was a 15.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,565,850. 22.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

MKC stock opened at $76.98 on Thursday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $76.74 and its 200-day moving average is $78.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.75. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $64.33 and a 1 year high of $85.49.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.03. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 15.30%. Equities research analysts expect that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 2.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 30th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 30th. This is a positive change from McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen upgraded 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.75.

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.