Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) Stock

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $74.00 to $81.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 16.48% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on MKC. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $70.00 to $67.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays reduced their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $72.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $82.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, HSBC cut their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $75.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.10.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Stock Up 0.7%

McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock traded up $0.51 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $69.54. 144,892 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,090,152. The company has a market capitalization of $18.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.71, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.13 and its 200 day moving average is $67.11. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $59.62 and a 52 week high of $86.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.01). McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 14.27% and a net margin of 11.54%.The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. McCormick & Company, Incorporated’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.130 EPS. Analysts predict that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $3,581,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 296,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,273,536.96. This trade represents a 14.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacques Tapiero sold 5,000 shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $335,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,119,775.64. This represents a 13.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,947,300. 23.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McCormick & Company, Incorporated

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 34,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,854,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 19.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 40.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 21,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,756,000 after buying an additional 6,189 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 34.0% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 1,930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 36.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 849,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,407,000 after buying an additional 227,662 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.