Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Increases Holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 47,844 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $3,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock opened at $82.76 on Wednesday. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $66.88 and a fifty-two week high of $85.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $22.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average of $76.40 and a 200 day moving average of $78.50.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, Director Margaret M. V. Preston sold 28,092 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.03, for a total value of $2,163,926.76. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $475,814.31. The trade was a 81.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 23.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Profile

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.