McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Price Target Cut to $64.00 by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) had its price target dropped by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $64.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 31.28% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on MKC. Zacks Research downgraded McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $70.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. UBS Group cut their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Barclays reduced their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $58.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McCormick & Company, Incorporated currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.55.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of MKC stock traded down $1.69 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $48.75. 5,785,292 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,154,732. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $63.01 and a 200 day moving average of $65.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $48.31 and a 1 year high of $82.90. The firm has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 16.64, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.58.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 14.27%. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. Analysts expect that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.43, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 16.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $335,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock worth $7,947,300 over the last quarter. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of McCormick & Company, Incorporated

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MKC. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the second quarter worth $27,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 67.8% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 406 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

Key McCormick & Company, Incorporated News

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.