Barclays Cuts McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Price Target to $47.00

Key Points

• Barclays cut McCormick’s price target from $55 to $47 and maintained an “equal weight” rating, implying approximately 5.4% upside from the stock’s $44.60 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: McCormick has five Buy ratings and eight Hold ratings, with a consensus target price of $55.30.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations with EPS of $0.86 versus $0.76 expected and revenue of $2.02 billion, up 17.4% year over year, while reaffirming fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.05–$3.13.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Barclays from $55.00 to $47.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price target would indicate a potential upside of 5.37% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 21st. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.30.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Up 1.0%

MKC traded up $0.46 on Friday, hitting $44.60. The company had a trading volume of 5,442,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,976,146. The company has a market cap of $11.99 billion, a PE ratio of 7.42, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.65. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $51.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.78. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12-month low of $43.25 and a 12-month high of $72.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The business's revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, major shareholder Lawrence Kurzius sold 205,538 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.69, for a total transaction of $10,829,797.22. Following the transaction, the insider owned 296,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,648,508.48. This represents a 40.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKC. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 67.8% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 406 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 42.5% during the 4th quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 79.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting McCormick & Company, Incorporated this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings and revenue beat expectations: Third-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.86, exceeding the $0.76 consensus, while revenue reached $2.02 billion versus estimates of $1.98 billion. Revenue rose 17.4% year over year, supported by the McCormick de Mexico acquisition, organic growth and margin expansion. McCormick quarterly profit beats as margins expand, Mexico deal adds to sales
• Positive Sentiment: Cost improvements and deleveraging could support future results: Management is targeting 100–120 basis points of gross-margin expansion in 2026 and plans to pay down $1.5 billion–$2 billion of debt within two years. The pending Unilever Foods transaction is also viewed as a potential source of additional growth and synergies. McCormick debt paydown and margin expansion plan
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation and dividend appeal remain supportive: McCormick trades near multi-year lows at approximately 15 times current-year earnings and offers a dividend yield above 4%, potentially attracting value- and income-focused investors. McCormick valuation, dividend and Unilever deal outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 guidance was reaffirmed: EPS guidance remains $3.05–$3.13 and revenue guidance is $7.7 billion–$8.0 billion, broadly consistent with analyst expectations. McCormick third-quarter results and 2026 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Reported profit fell sharply: GAAP net income declined to $97.6 million from $225.5 million a year earlier, reflecting integration and cost-action charges. Organic sales growth was only 1.9%, suggesting much of the headline growth came from acquisitions. McCormick posts lower profit on higher sales
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts reduced price targets: BNP Paribas Exane cut its target to $65 but retained an “outperform” rating, while Stifel lowered its target to $48 with a “hold” rating. TD Cowen also reduced its target to $48 and maintained “hold,” signaling limited near-term conviction.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Company Profile

McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global producer and marketer of spices, herbs, seasonings, condiments, sauces and other flavor products. The company sells branded products to consumers through grocery stores, e-commerce channels and other retail outlets, while also supplying customized flavor solutions, ingredients and seasonings to food manufacturers, restaurants and foodservice operators.

Its portfolio includes the McCormick, French's, Frank's RedHot, Lawry's, OLD BAY, Zatarain's, Grill Mates and Cholula brands, among others.

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