McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on MKC. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $82.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group lowered their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $70.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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 report on Wednesday, February 25th. HSBC cut their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $72.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.10.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

NYSE MKC opened at $59.93 on Monday. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $59.62 and a 12 month high of $83.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.09 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.80 earnings per share. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $2,119,775.64. This trade represents a 13.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael D. Mangan sold 5,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,029 shares in the company, valued at $2,922,529.68. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $7,947,300 in the last three months. 10.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of McCormick & Company, Incorporated

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 67.8% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 406 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

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.