McCormick & Company, Incorporated · MKC · FY2025 Q4 · Calendar Q1 2026
McCormick Maintains 2026 Outlook Despite Margin Pressure
The evidence is mixed but constructive: resilient volume growth, cost discipline, innovation, distribution expansion, and the Mexico acquisition support the outlook, while tariff, inflation, pricing-elasticity, and execution risks remain material.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
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Transcript intelligence
What changed
Compared with the prior quarter, tariff exposure was reduced to approximately $70 million, with $50 million of incremental cost expected in 2026; management also highlighted the McCormick de Mexico acquisition and a compressed ERP timeline.
Guidance delta
Management maintained 2026 guidance: 1–3% organic sales growth, margin expansion, and 15–19% constant-currency operating-income growth.
Key takeaways
- Q4 organic sales grew 2%, supported by volume gains in Consumer and Flavor Solutions.
- Inflation and tariffs compressed gross margins, while cost discipline and CCI savings limited the pressure.
- Management pointed to pricing, innovation, distribution expansion, and the McCormick de Mexico acquisition as support for 2026.
Management priorities
- Execute portfolio renovation, product innovation, and increased brand marketing.
- Accelerate ERP deployment while continuing cost and productivity initiatives.
- Expand e-commerce and social-commerce distribution and scale health-and-wellness reformulation projects.
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Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Sep 29, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Sep 18, 2026 |
| TD Cowen | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Barclays | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Jun 29, 2026 |
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 1, 2026 |
| BNP Paribas | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Stifel | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Jan 23, 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 $48.46. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $62 | $49.34 | +27.9% | Sep 18, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $55 | $51.05 | +13.5% | Jun 29, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $52 | $48.35 | +7.3% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Alexia Howard | $68 | $48.35 | +40.3% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $60 | $48.35 | +23.8% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| UBS | Peter Grom | $51 | $46.28 | +5.2% | Jun 2, 2026 |
| Barclays | Andrew Lazar | $67 | $60.79 | +38.3% | Jan 26, 2026 |
| UBS | Bryan Adams | $67 | $60.12 | +38.3% | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Analyst unavailable | $85 | $61.2 | +75.4% | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $72 | $61.2 | +48.6% | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $75 | $66.8 | +54.8% | Dec 15, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Alexia Howard | $87 | $66.28 | +79.5% | Dec 11, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Analyst unavailable | $78 | $65.86 | +61.0% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $70 | $65.86 | +44.4% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Alexia Howard | $93 | $65.62 | +91.9% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $71 | $65.62 | +46.5% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Deutsche Bank | Steve Powers | $71 | $65.62 | +46.5% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Barclays | Andrew Lazar | $72 | $65.62 | +48.6% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| UBS | Bryan Adams | $71 | $67.16 | +46.5% | Oct 1, 2025 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $82 | $65.71 | +69.2% | Sep 25, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $79 | $72.26 | +63.0% | Aug 22, 2025 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $77 | $72.96 | +58.9% | Jun 17, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $91 | $77.5 | +87.8% | Dec 9, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $85 | $78.86 | +75.4% | Oct 22, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Matthew Smith | $85 | $84.09 | +75.4% | Oct 2, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Adam Samuelson | $69 | $84.09 | +42.4% | Oct 1, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Rob Dickerson | $86 | $84.09 | +77.5% | Oct 1, 2024 |
| CFRA | Arun Sundaram | $93 | $82.92 | +91.9% | Oct 1, 2024 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $80 | $70.6 | +65.1% | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Steve Powers | $73 | $70.6 | +50.6% | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Coker Palmer | Thomas Palmer | $69 | $69.2 | +42.4% | Jun 12, 2024 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $88 | $76.62 | +81.6% | Apr 2, 2024 |
| HSBC | Alejandro Zamacona | $79 | $76.6 | +63.0% | Mar 27, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Matthew Smith | $75 | $76.37 | +54.8% | Mar 27, 2024 |
| CFRA | Arun Sundaram | $85 | $77.3 | +75.4% | Mar 26, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $83 | $84.18 | +71.3% | Dec 6, 2022 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $82 | $81.26 | +69.2% | Sep 12, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $79 | $78.38 | +63.0% | Sep 8, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Steve Powers | $85 | $82.07 | +75.4% | Jul 9, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $91 | $83.01 | +87.8% | 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.…
Historical context
All MKC earningsConsumer Defensive peers this season
Latest reports in the same sector| Company | Quarter | EPS surprise | Market move | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIS General Mills, Inc. | FY2027 Q1 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +4.6% | +1.0% | General Mills leans on mix, innovation and e-commerce amid pressure |
| KR The Kroger Co. | FY2026 Q2 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +2.8% | +2.7% | Kroger: Strong digital growth offsets softer sales outlook |
| CPB Campbell Soup Company | FY2026 Q4 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +1.1% | -7.0% | Campbell’s leans on savings and innovation amid pressured demand |
| BF-A Brown-Forman Corporation | FY2027 Q1 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +3.0% | — | Brown-Forman holds FY27 outlook as RTD innovation offsets barrel pressure |
| BF-B Brown-Forman Corporation | FY2027 Q1 · Calendar Q3 2026 | 0.0% | — | Brown-Forman maintains FY27 outlook as innovation offsets pressure |
| DG Dollar General Corporation | FY2027 Q2 · Calendar Q3 2026 | +23.4% | +2.5% | Dollar General Raises FY2026 Outlook After Strong Q2 |
Latest beats and misses
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- AZOFY2026 Q4 · September 22, 2026+3.6% EPS+3.3% move
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-09-29T03:10:58.707871+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-09-29T03:10:58.704961+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 2026-09-29. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.