McCormick & Company, Incorporated · MKC · FY2024 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2024
McCormick Q3: Volume Turned Positive as Margins Expanded
McCormick's Q3 showed early evidence of improving demand: volume turned positive and margins expanded while guidance was maintained. The case for sustained progress depends on whether Flavor Solutions momentum holds, innovation and distribution gains continue, and China and QSR pressures ease.
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Transcript intelligence
What changed
Versus the prior-quarter analysis, the supplied Q3 analysis shows the first positive quarterly volume growth, stronger gross-margin expansion, and continued confidence in the outlook. The main unresolved issues remain China, QSR traffic, Flavor Solutions durability, and Q4 spending.
Guidance delta
Maintained. Management expected results at the mid-to-high end of guidance and cited holiday-season momentum.
Key takeaways
- Constant-currency sales were flat, while volume increased 1%.
- Gross margin expanded 170 basis points, supported by mix and the CCI program.
- Management highlighted innovation, packaging, distribution gains, and higher brand-marketing investment.
- China weakness and uncertain QSR traffic remained important offsets.
Management priorities
- Accelerate innovation and packaging launches, including Grill Mates and Frank's RedHot products.
- Expand distribution and total distribution points.
- Increase brand-marketing investment and continue price-gap management.
- Build supply-chain capacity through the heat platform and advance digital transformation.
- Present a detailed strategic roadmap at Investor Day.
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Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 19, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Oct 2, 2026 |
| TD Cowen | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Stifel | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Oct 2, 2026 |
| BNP Paribas | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Barclays | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Oct 2, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Sep 18, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jun 17, 2025 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 2, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Apr 2, 2024 |
| Consumer Edge Research | Equal Weight | Overweight | Downgrade | Jan 22, 2024 |
| Exane BNP Paribas | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Nov 15, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Neutral | Outperform | Downgrade | Jan 19, 2022 |
| CFRA | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Mar 31, 2020 |
| Goldman Sachs | Sell | Neutral | Downgrade | Dec 10, 2019 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Sep 28, 2018 |
| Vertical Research | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Jun 29, 2018 |
| Vertical Group | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Jun 29, 2018 |
| Bank of America | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Dec 6, 2016 |
| BB&T Capital | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Feb 18, 2016 |
| S&P Capital IQ | Sell | Hold | Downgrade | Jan 29, 2014 |
| Wellington Shields | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 27, 2013 |
| Keybanc | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Apr 22, 2013 |
| Northcoast Research | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Apr 1, 2013 |
| Davenport | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Jan 10, 2013 |
| Janney Montgomery Scott | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Aug 3, 2012 |
| Janney Capital | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Aug 3, 2012 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $45.82. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $48 | $44.52 | +4.8% | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $57 | $44.55 | +24.4% | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Alexia Howard | $59 | $44.14 | +28.8% | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Matthew Smith | $48 | $44.14 | +4.8% | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $47 | $44.14 | +2.6% | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $62 | $49.34 | +35.3% | Sep 18, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $55 | $51.05 | +20.0% | Jun 29, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $52 | $48.35 | +13.5% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Alexia Howard | $68 | $48.35 | +48.4% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $60 | $48.35 | +30.9% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| UBS | Peter Grom | $51 | $46.28 | +11.3% | Jun 2, 2026 |
| Barclays | Andrew Lazar | $67 | $60.79 | +46.2% | Jan 26, 2026 |
| UBS | Bryan Adams | $67 | $60.12 | +46.2% | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Analyst unavailable | $85 | $61.2 | +85.5% | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $72 | $61.2 | +57.1% | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $75 | $66.8 | +63.7% | Dec 15, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Alexia Howard | $87 | $66.28 | +89.9% | Dec 11, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Analyst unavailable | $78 | $65.86 | +70.2% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $70 | $65.86 | +52.8% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Alexia Howard | $93 | $65.62 | +103.0% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $71 | $65.62 | +55.0% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Deutsche Bank | Steve Powers | $71 | $65.62 | +55.0% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Barclays | Andrew Lazar | $72 | $65.62 | +57.1% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| UBS | Bryan Adams | $71 | $67.16 | +55.0% | Oct 1, 2025 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $82 | $65.71 | +79.0% | Sep 25, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $79 | $72.26 | +72.4% | Aug 22, 2025 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $77 | $72.96 | +68.0% | Jun 17, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $91 | $77.5 | +98.6% | Dec 9, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $85 | $78.86 | +85.5% | Oct 22, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Matthew Smith | $85 | $84.09 | +85.5% | Oct 2, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Adam Samuelson | $69 | $84.09 | +50.6% | Oct 1, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $86 | $84.09 | +87.7% | Oct 1, 2024 |
| CFRA | Arun Sundaram | $93 | $82.92 | +103.0% | Oct 1, 2024 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $80 | $70.6 | +74.6% | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Steve Powers | $73 | $70.6 | +59.3% | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $69 | $69.2 | +50.6% | Jun 12, 2024 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $88 | $76.62 | +92.1% | Apr 2, 2024 |
| HSBC | Alejandro Zamacona | $79 | $76.6 | +72.4% | Mar 27, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Matthew Smith | $75 | $76.37 | +63.7% | Mar 27, 2024 |
| CFRA | Arun Sundaram | $85 | $77.3 | +85.5% | Mar 26, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $83 | $84.18 | +81.1% | Dec 6, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $82 | $81.26 | +79.0% | Sep 12, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $79 | $78.38 | +72.4% | Sep 8, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Steve Powers | $85 | $82.07 | +85.5% | Jul 9, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $91 | $83.01 | +98.6% | Jun 21, 2022 |
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Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationMcCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global leader in the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of a wide array of flavorful products, including spices, seasoning mixes, and condiments, to the food industry. Its operations are divided into two primary segments: Consumer and Flavor Solutions. The Consumer segment provides an extensive range of items such as spices, herbs, seasonings, sauces, and desserts. These are sold under numerous prominent brands across various regions: McCormick, French's, Frank's RedHot, Lawry's Cholula Hot Sauce, Gourmet Garden, Club House, and OLD BAY in the Americas; Ducros, Schwartz, Kamis, Drogheria & Alimentari, and Vahiné throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); McCormick and DaQiao in China; and McCormick, Aeroplane, and Gourmet Garden in Australia.…
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2024-10-17T05:10:49.140638+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-19T17:50:40.679614+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-19T17:50:40.676700+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-19. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.