McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Price Target Cut to $75.00 by Analysts at BNP Paribas Exane

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) had its price target decreased by research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $83.00 to $75.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 51.85% from the stock’s current price.

MKC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Research downgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $78.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $85.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $70.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.00.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of MKC traded down $1.05 on Wednesday, hitting $49.39. 5,087,864 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,146,812. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a one year low of $48.31 and a one year high of $82.90. The company has a market capitalization of $13.26 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.70.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.05. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.27% and a net margin of 11.54%.The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other McCormick & Company, Incorporated news, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.43, for a total value of $3,371,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 246,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,639,161.66. This trade represents a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $335,450.00. Following the sale, the director owned 31,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,119,775.64. This represents a 13.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,947,300. 10.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of McCormick & Company, Incorporated

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 21,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,443,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Ransom Advisory Ltd lifted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd now owns 4,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 67.8% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 406 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 570 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. 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: Q1 beat and revenue growth: MKC reported Q1 EPS of $0.66 vs. $0.61 expected and revenue of $1.87B (up 16.7% YoY), driven by acquisitions, pricing and modest organic growth — evidence of operational momentum. Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic scale from Unilever foods tie-up: Management and press releases position the combination with Unilever’s foods business as creating a global, flavor-focused company (~$65B combined) with expected cost synergies (management cited ~$600M run-rate) and potential to be accretive to sales growth and adjusted EPS. Merger Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance reaffirmed: McCormick reaffirmed its 2026 outlook after the quarter — supportive but not an upgrade, so investors will want confirmation on how the Unilever deal alters longer-term targets and capital allocation. Q1 Release
• Negative Sentiment: Deal structure and investor skepticism: Many investors and some banks say the Unilever transaction (cash + equity, McCormick shareholders to own ~35% of combined co.) looks complex and may not create compelling near-term value — that skepticism pressured both MKC and UL stocks. Analyst Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cuts and price-target trims: Ahead of/after the deal, firms (e.g., Barclays, Deutsche Bank) trimmed price targets and expressed caution, signaling near-term downside risk from execution and dilution concerns. DB Expectations Lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation and fairness probes: Multiple law firms have launched investigations/alerts into whether the merger is fair to McCormick shareholders — a risk that can delay the transaction and add legal/transactional costs. Investor Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and technical pressure: The merger announcement triggered sharp selling, driving the stock to new lows and higher trading volume — amplifying downside as investors digest dilution, integration risk and timing. Coverage of Stock Drop

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Company Profile

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.