McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Price Target Cut to $48.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group cut McCormick’s price target from $52 to $48 and maintained a “neutral” rating, implying about 7.2% upside from the stock’s $44.77 price. The broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average target of $56.10.
• McCormick exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.86 versus $0.76 expected and revenue of $2.02 billion, up 17.4% year over year. However, organic growth was only 1.9%, while reported net income declined sharply because of integration and cost-related charges.
• The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance of $3.05–$3.13 EPS and plans to repay $1.5 billion–$2 billion of debt within two years; the pending Unilever foods merger could provide longer-term growth support.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by analysts at UBS Group from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price target points to a potential upside of 7.22% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on MKC. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in a report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $57.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $64.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased 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 report on Monday, September 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $56.10.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

MKC stock traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.77. 3,322,455 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,971,549. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52-week low of $43.25 and a 52-week high of $72.41. The stock has a market cap of $12.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.44, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock's 50-day moving average is $51.84 and its 200 day moving average is $50.78.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.10. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 21.91% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The business had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.85 EPS. The company's revenue was up 17.4% compared to the same quarter last year. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McCormick & Company, Incorporated

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKC. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.6% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 78.1% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,729 shares of the company's stock worth $541,000 after purchasing an additional 4,705 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 71.9% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 61,954 shares of the company's stock worth $3,124,000 after purchasing an additional 25,922 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the second quarter valued at $1,726,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 110.5% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 45,868 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,313,000 after purchasing an additional 24,076 shares in the last quarter. 79.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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

• Positive Sentiment: McCormick reported adjusted third-quarter earnings of $0.86 per share, exceeding the $0.76 consensus estimate, while revenue of $2.02 billion also topped expectations. Sales increased 17.4% year over year, helped by the McCormick de Mexico acquisition, organic growth and margin expansion. McCormick Reports Solid Third Quarter Performance and Reaffirms 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted operating margin improved to 17.7%, and management is targeting 100–120 basis points of gross-margin expansion in 2026. The company also outlined plans to repay $1.5 billion to $2 billion of debt within two years, which could strengthen the balance sheet and reduce interest costs. McCormick Debt Paydown and Margin Plan
• Positive Sentiment: McCormick reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance of $3.05–$3.13 in EPS and $7.7 billion–$8.0 billion in revenue. Investors may also view the pending Unilever foods merger, expected to close by mid-2026, as a potential source of longer-term growth. Shares trade at a depressed valuation with a dividend yield above 4%. McCormick Valuation, Dividend and Unilever Deal Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings beat was largely acquisition-driven. Organic growth was only 1.9%, indicating that underlying demand and pricing remain modest despite the stronger headline sales growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Reported net income fell to $97.6 million, or $0.36 per share, from $225.5 million, or $0.84 per share, a year earlier. Special charges related to integration and cost actions also caused reported operating margins to decline. McCormick Posts Lower Profit on Higher Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target from $55 to $48 and maintained a “hold” rating, signaling limited upside from current levels and continued caution around McCormick’s growth outlook.

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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