Natural Investments LLC Acquires New Stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Natural Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 31,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,392,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,000. 79.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other news, Director Margaret M. V. Preston sold 28,092 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director now owns 6,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $475,814.31. This represents a 81.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 23.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective 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, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $86.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.75.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

Shares of MKC opened at $84.16 on Tuesday. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $66.88 and a 12 month high of $86.24. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $77.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $22.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.71.

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 14.89% and a net margin of 11.73%. Research analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share 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.