Covea Finance Grows Position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated $MKC

Covea Finance raised its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 379,690 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,800 shares during the period. Covea Finance’s holdings in McCormick & Company, Incorporated were worth $25,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,427,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,458,683,000 after buying an additional 553,862 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,522,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,038,632,000 after buying an additional 747,844 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,232,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,006,000 after buying an additional 2,494,544 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in McCormick & Company, Incorporated in the second quarter valued at $249,087,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $187,183,000 after acquiring an additional 1,124,003 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.74% of the company’s stock.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MKC opened at $53.30 on Friday. 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 has a 1-year low of $52.63 and a 1-year high of $83.15. The company has a market capitalization of $14.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50-day moving average of $65.14 and a 200-day moving average of $66.17.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last announced its 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). The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 14.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays lowered their price target on 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $71.00 to $65.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at McCormick & Company, Incorporated

In other news, major shareholder Lawrence Erik Kurzius sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $21,273,536.96. This represents a 14.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael D. Mangan sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.92, for a total transaction of $339,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,922,529.68. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $7,947,300 over the last 90 days. 10.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.