McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Stock Price Up 1.6% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• McCormick shares rose 1.6% to about $46.80, though trading volume was 41% below the average session level.
• Analysts remain mixed: five rate the stock a Buy and eight a Hold, resulting in an overall “Hold” consensus and an average price target of $55.30.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations with $0.86 EPS and $2.02 billion in revenue, while maintaining a $0.48 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 4.1% yield.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 1.6% during trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $46.87 and last traded at $46.7980. Approximately 2,350,742 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 3,985,240 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $55.30.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Up 1.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $12.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.65. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $49.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. The business'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. Sell-side analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 13th. McCormick & Company, Incorporated's payout ratio is 34.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Lawrence Kurzius sold 205,538 shares of the firm's 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 directly owned 296,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,648,508.48. This trade represents a 40.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 10.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of McCormick & Company, Incorporated

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKC. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.8% in the third quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,130 shares of the company's stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Dorato Capital Management lifted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dorato Capital Management now owns 4,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,738 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 7,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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