McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Stock Price Down 1.3% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• McCormick shares fell 1.3% to about $48.10, trading below both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $55.30, though several firms recently reduced their targets.
• The company delivered a strong quarter, reporting $0.86 in EPS versus the $0.76 estimate and $2.02 billion in revenue, up 17.4% year over year. Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance is $3.05–$3.13.
• McCormick declared a quarterly dividend of $0.48, implying a 4.0% annualized yield. However, major shareholder Lawrence Kurzius sold roughly 205,538 shares, reducing his position by 40.9%.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 1.3% during trading on Friday. The stock traded as low as $47.53 and last traded at $48.1010. 3,044,808 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 4,000,086 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MKC shares. Barclays reduced their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $55.00 to $47.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective (down from $55.00) on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $55.30.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

The company's 50 day moving average price is $49.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $12.94 billion, a PE ratio of 8.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.65.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.10. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 19.39%. The business had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's revenue for the quarter was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Lawrence Kurzius sold 205,538 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.69, for a total value of $10,829,797.22. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 296,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,648,508.48. The trade was a 40.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McCormick & Company, Incorporated

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MKC. Investors Research Corp purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the second quarter worth $1,152,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the first quarter worth $11,882,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the second quarter worth $1,331,000. XXEC Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the second quarter valued at $154,566,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 9.4% in the second quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 240,383 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,120,000 after purchasing an additional 20,563 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company's stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Company Profile

McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global manufacturer and marketer of spices, seasonings, condiments, sauces, and other flavor products. The company serves consumers through grocery, e-commerce, and foodservice channels, while also supplying flavor solutions to food manufacturers and other commercial customers.

Its consumer portfolio includes McCormick spices and seasonings, as well as brands such as French's, Frank's RedHot, Lawry's, OLD BAY, and Gourmet Garden. Its products are used in home cooking, restaurants, and packaged foods across a range of cuisines and meal occasions.

Founded by Willoughby M.

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