McKesson Co. (NYSE:MCK) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of McKesson Co. (NYSE:MCK) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $649.36.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MCK. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on McKesson from $612.00 to $642.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of McKesson in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $630.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of McKesson from $650.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of McKesson from $680.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of McKesson from $641.00 to $691.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Leann B. Smith sold 188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.59, for a total transaction of $114,602.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $640,679.09. This represents a 15.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian S. Tyler sold 8,961 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $597.99, for a total value of $5,358,588.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,664 shares in the company, valued at $36,276,465.36. This trade represents a 12.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 18,689 shares of company stock valued at $11,187,351. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McKesson

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MCK. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in McKesson by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 807 shares of the company’s stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Old North State Trust LLC lifted its position in shares of McKesson by 1.6% during the third quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of McKesson by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in McKesson by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Western Trust Bank grew its holdings in McKesson by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. First Western Trust Bank now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.07% of the company’s stock.

McKesson Stock Up 1.0 %

McKesson stock opened at $661.63 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $611.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $572.36. McKesson has a 52 week low of $464.42 and a 52 week high of $663.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.92 billion, a PE ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.52.

McKesson (NYSE:MCK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $8.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.60 by ($0.57). McKesson had a net margin of 0.82% and a negative return on equity of 181.26%. On average, research analysts expect that McKesson will post 32.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McKesson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McKesson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.00%.

McKesson Company Profile

McKesson Corporation provides healthcare services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Pharmaceutical, Prescription Technology Solutions (RxTS), Medical-Surgical Solutions, and International. The U.S. Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded, generic, specialty, biosimilar and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs, and other healthcare-related products.