McCormick & Company, Incorporated $MKC Shares Acquired by Covea Finance

Covea Finance boosted its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 379,690 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,800 shares during the period. Covea Finance owned about 0.14% of McCormick & Company, Incorporated worth $25,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $71.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research lowered McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group lowered their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.30.

Insider Transactions at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other news, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total transaction of $3,581,500.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 296,992 shares in the company, valued at $21,273,536.96. This trade represents a 14.41% 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, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $335,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 31,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,119,775.64. This represents a 13.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $7,947,300 over the last quarter. 10.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Performance

NYSE:MKC opened at $53.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.14 and a 200-day simple moving average 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. 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. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1-year low of $52.63 and a 1-year high of $83.15.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.84 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.27% and a net margin of 11.54%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories 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.

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.