McCormick & Company, Incorporated $MKC Shares Acquired by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 219.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 105,226 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 72,262 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $7,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 34,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,854,000 after acquiring an additional 925 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 40.9% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 21,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,756,000 after purchasing an additional 6,189 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 36,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,798,000 after purchasing an additional 3,661 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,427,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,458,683,000 after purchasing an additional 553,862 shares during the period. 79.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock opened at $53.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $65.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.17. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $52.63 and a 52 week high of $83.15. The stock has a market cap of $14.31 billion, a PE ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.59.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.01). McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 14.27%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. HSBC lowered their target price on 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. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McCormick & Company, Incorporated has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.30.

More McCormick & Company, Incorporated News

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.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In related news, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total transaction of $3,581,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 296,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,273,536.96. This trade represents a 14.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $335,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,596 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,119,775.64. This trade represents a 13.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,947,300 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated 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.