McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Given New $59.00 Price Target at UBS Group

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $67.00 to $59.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on MKC. HSBC lowered their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $72.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research downgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $71.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.30.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock opened at $53.30 on Friday. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $52.63 and a 1 year high of $83.15. The firm has a market cap of $14.31 billion, a PE ratio of 18.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $65.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.27% and a net margin of 11.54%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. 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 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael D. Mangan sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.92, for a total value of $339,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 43,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,922,529.68. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $3,581,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 296,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,273,536.96. This represents a 14.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,947,300 over the last ninety days. 10.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McCormick & Company, Incorporated

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKC. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 188,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,847,000 after acquiring an additional 9,088 shares during the period. Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 500,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,086,000 after purchasing an additional 47,119 shares during the period. Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 467.1% during the 4th quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 63,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,305,000 after purchasing an additional 52,055 shares during the period. Finally, Bayban bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter worth $54,000. 79.74% of the stock is 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: Potential transformational scale and revenue upside — combining Unilever Foods (brands such as Hellmann’s and Knorr) with McCormick would materially expand MKC’s portfolio and global footprint, creating cost and distribution synergies that investors often reward. WSJ: Unilever in Talks to Separate Food Business and Combine It With McCormick
• Positive Sentiment: McCormick’s strong M&A track record supports belief it could integrate and extract value — the company’s past acquisitions (Frank’s, Cholula, French’s) have become meaningful growth drivers, which makes a larger Unilever foods deal strategically credible. Reuters: From Frank’s to Cholula, McCormick’s decade of deals sets stage for bold Unilever move
• Neutral Sentiment: Talks confirmed but deal not agreed — both Unilever and McCormick acknowledged discussions; timing, structure and terms remain uncertain, so near‑term volatility largely reflects speculation rather than a signed transaction. PR Newswire: McCormick Issues Statement Proactive: Unilever confirms talks with McCormick
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent fundamentals: a modest quarterly EPS miss and FY‑26 guidance range create mixed near‑term earnings visibility—investors will watch how management frames any deal impact on margins/guide. (Company Q report: slight EPS miss; FY2026 guidance 3.050–3.130 EPS.)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction is weighing on the stock — UBS cut its price target from $67 to $59 and moved to a “neutral” rating, which can trigger selling pressure while investors reassess deal economics and dilution/valuation risks. TickerReport / Benzinga: UBS lowers price target on McCormick
• Negative Sentiment: Execution, integration and financing risks — a large combination raises questions about deal structure (all‑stock), regulatory approvals, integration complexity and possible balance‑sheet implications; until clarity emerges, investor caution may persist.

About McCormick & Company, Incorporated

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE: MKC) is a global leader in spices, seasonings and flavor solutions. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, the company traces its origins to the late 19th century and has grown into a major manufacturer and marketer of branded and private‑label flavor products for consumer, industrial and foodservice markets.

McCormick’s product portfolio includes pure spices and herbs, blended seasonings, marinades, rubs, sauces, extracts and specialty flavorings, along with ingredient systems and custom flavor development for manufacturers and foodservice operators.