JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Price Target to $64.00

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) had its price objective cut by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $67.00 to $64.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 32.85% from the stock’s previous close.

MKC has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $67.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $83.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $70.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.27.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock traded down $2.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $48.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 11,359,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,188,659. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $48.05 and a 12 month high of $82.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $63.01 and a 200 day moving average of $65.27. The company has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.58. 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.05. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.27% and a net margin of 11.54%.The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In related news, Director Michael D. Mangan sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the insider owned 296,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,273,536.96. The trade was a 14.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock worth $7,947,300 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McCormick & Company, Incorporated

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 188,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,847,000 after purchasing an additional 9,088 shares during the last quarter. Union Savings Bank bought a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 500,292 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,086,000 after buying an additional 47,119 shares during the last quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 467.1% during the fourth quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 63,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,305,000 after buying an additional 52,055 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayban bought a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and healthy revenue growth: McCormick delivered $0.66 EPS vs. $0.61 expected and reported revenue up ~16.7% Y/Y, driven by acquisitions, pricing and margin improvement — evidence of operational strength that supports near-term fundamentals. Q1 metrics vs. estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic scale from Unilever foods tie-up: The announced combination with Unilever’s foods business creates a much larger flavor/foods platform with stated cost synergies (~$600M run-rate) and revenue scale — a long-term growth and margin story if regulators and integration go smoothly. Press release
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive: BNP Paribas Exane and Jefferies still carry Outperform/Buy stances with meaningful upside to their revised targets, signaling belief in the deal’s longer-term value despite shorter-term uncertainty. BNP Paribas / Jefferies coverage Jefferies PT change
• Neutral Sentiment: Heightened trading activity and options volume: Large option flows and elevated share volume indicate speculative positioning and increased volatility around the deal/earnings news — watch implied volatility and block trades for near-term swing risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market positioning/value narrative: Several outlets note MKC is trading at value levels that could appeal to income investors (high dividend yield relative to history) — potential for bargain-hunting if risk appetite returns. MarketBeat value note
• Negative Sentiment: Widespread analyst price-target cuts: Multiple firms trimmed targets (Stifel to $55, Barclays to $58, others lowered) which reduces near-term sentiment and gives less analyst support for the current price level. Stifel PT cut Barclays/Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder legal notices and investigations: Several firms have issued shareholder alerts and investigations into whether the transaction is fair to McCormick shareholders — this increases execution risk, potential delay and legal expense. KSF investor alert Ademi alert
• Negative Sentiment: Market skepticism on deal mechanics and dilution: Banks and some analysts warn the structure is complex and could dilute shareholders; that skepticism triggered the initial sell-off and remains the primary driver of downward pressure. Analyst/market reaction

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.