Blue Trust Inc. Has $118,000 Stock Position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Blue Trust Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 25.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,548 shares of the company’s stock after selling 539 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MKC. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Margaret M. V. Preston sold 28,092 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.03, for a total transaction of $2,163,926.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,177 shares in the company, valued at $475,814.31. This trade represents a 81.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 23.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MKC. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.75.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Up 1.2 %

MKC opened at $80.15 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $76.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.40. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1-year low of $65.72 and a 1-year high of $85.49. The company has a market cap of $21.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.75. 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 (NYSE:MKC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.03. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. Analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.