McCormick & Company, Incorporated $MKC Holdings Raised by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP lifted its stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 219.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 105,226 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,262 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $7,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MKC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the second quarter valued at about $249,087,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 66.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,232,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,494,544 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 67.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,797,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,183,000 after acquiring an additional 1,124,003 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,522,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,038,632,000 after acquiring an additional 747,844 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,576,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

More McCormick & Company, Incorporated News

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.

Insider Activity at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

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 transaction of $339,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,922,529.68. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $3,581,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 296,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,273,536.96. This trade represents a 14.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,947,300. Insiders own 10.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Down 1.4%

MKC stock opened at $53.30 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $65.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.17. The company has a market cap of $14.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.59. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 12-month low of $52.63 and a 12-month high of $83.15. 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 (NYSE:MKC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.01). McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 14.27%. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.