YHB Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. cut its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 37,529 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,301 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $2,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MKC. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. 79.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.33, for a total transaction of $391,650.00. Following the transaction, the director now 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $1,565,850. Company insiders own 22.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. BNP Paribas raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $83.75.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of MKC opened at $77.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.19, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.75. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $64.33 and a 52 week high of $85.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $76.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.03. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 11.87%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 2.92 EPS for the current year.

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 issued a $0.45 dividend. This is a boost from McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 30th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s payout ratio is presently 61.22%.

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.