Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $32.43 Million Position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 425,354 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,924 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $32,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter worth about $223,202,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,843,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,771,000 after purchasing an additional 915,807 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,693,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,573,000 after purchasing an additional 531,060 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 879,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,035,000 after buying an additional 412,074 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,641,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,412,000 after buying an additional 396,214 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

NYSE MKC opened at $76.10 on Friday. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $66.88 and a fifty-two week high of $86.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $78.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.59. The firm has a market cap of $20.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 21st. Investors of record on Monday, April 7th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 7th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MKC shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus downgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.14.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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 stock was sold at an average price of $81.81, for a total value of $4,090,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 247,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,242,820.97. The trade was a 16.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Gregory Repas sold 2,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.42, for a total value of $223,905.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,497.72. This trade represents a 54.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 80,842 shares of company stock worth $6,478,332. 23.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.