McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Reaches New 1-Year Low on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $67.00 to $64.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. McCormick & Company, Incorporated traded as low as $50.10 and last traded at $49.3820, with a volume of 86579 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.72.

MKC has been the topic of several other reports. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $83.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Barclays decreased their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $58.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Zacks Research downgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $81.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 approximately $2,922,529.68. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 246,762 shares in the company, valued at $16,639,161.66. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $7,947,300 in the last quarter. 10.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about McCormick & Company, Incorporated

Here are the key news stories impacting McCormick & Company, Incorporated this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and reaffirmed outlook — McCormick reported better-than-expected Q1 results (EPS $0.66 vs. $0.61 consensus) and revenue +16.7% Y/Y, and reiterated its 2026 outlook, which supports near-term fundamentals. Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic upside from Unilever tie-up — management says the deal will create a ~US$65B flavor/foods company with ~$600M run-rate synergies and accretion potential, a clear long-term growth/doubling revenue thesis if the transaction closes. Deal Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still constructive despite cuts — a number of firms kept Buy/Overweight stances even while lowering targets (e.g., Jefferies, JPMorgan), indicating analysts see value once merger execution/risks are clarified. Jefferies PT Note JPMorgan PT Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated trading & options flow — unusually high volume and a spike in call option activity signal both heavy repositioning and active speculation; this increases short-term volatility but is not a directional fundamental read.
• Neutral Sentiment: Value/deep-discount narrative — some coverage points to MKC trading at deep-value multiples versus history, which could attract long-term income investors if uncertainty subsides.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price-target cuts and cautious notes — several brokers trimmed targets (Barclays, Stifel, JPMorgan, Jefferies reductions cited) or moved to neutral/hold, pressuring sentiment and limiting near-term buying. Stifel PT Cut Barclays/JPMorgan Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation and fairness probes — multiple law firms have launched investigations into whether the Unilever transaction is fair to McCormick shareholders, adding legal/PR risk and potential distraction. KSF Investigation Ademi Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Market skepticism on deal structure and dilution — coverage notes concerns about the cash-and-equity mix, dilution, execution risk and regulatory hurdles; that skepticism has driven near-term selling and a move toward 52‑week lows. Deal Critique

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,679,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,225,828,000 after acquiring an additional 314,252 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,522,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,038,632,000 after acquiring an additional 747,844 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,508,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,571,000 after acquiring an additional 59,587 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,422,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,467,000 after purchasing an additional 190,607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aristotle Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter valued at $259,918,000. 79.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Down 4.5%

The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 23.12% and a return on equity of 13.29%. The business’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

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.