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All stocks · Consumer Defensive · Packaged Foods & Meats

McCormick MKC

McCormick scores average on business quality (5.1 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.

Last price$44.81Oct 9, 2026
Business qualityAverage
Next earningsJan 20, 2027, after the close
Insiders, 90 daysBuying

Why it matters

  1. What McCormick does

    McCormick & Company sells spices, seasonings, and condiments to retail consumers and food service operators worldwide, generating revenue primarily through branded grocery sales.

  2. What it does best

    McCormick dominates retail spice placement through deep customer shelf-space control, yielding a 38.9% gross margin that outperforms peers like Tyson Foods at 6.9%. This shelf dominance creates high retail switching costs.

  3. The main risk

    Stagnant top-line volume growth at a 1.7% revenue increase limits top-line momentum, leaving the company vulnerable to private-label substitution if grocery inflation persists.

Quality, check by check

Scored against its own industry, from company filings.

ProfitabilityFair

Operating margins stand at 16.4%, earning a solid 76th percentile sector rank. Profitability is stable, though incremental volume gains are required to expand margins further from here.

MoatFair

Brand equity and retailer relationships secure shelf space, ranking in the top quartile of its sector for gross margin at 59th percentile. This protects pricing power against private labels.

GrowthSlow

Revenue growth crawled to 1.7% over the latest period, continuing a sluggish multi-year trajectory from $6.4B in 2022 to $7.4B. The core engine is stuck in low gear.

Financial healthFair

Total debt sits at $4.0B against $96M in cash, backed by an interest coverage ratio of 6.1x. Free cash flow reached $1.0B, supporting a balance sheet that is gradually improving.

Insiders

Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.

2 insiders bought $100K on the open market.

Our sealed record on MKC

Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.

The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.

Questions

Is MKC a good business?

McCormick scores average on the Cluenex quality check (5.1 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is fair, moat fair, growth slow and financial health fair.

Are insiders buying MKC?

In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: 2 insiders bought $100K on the open market.

When does MKC report earnings?

Jan 20, 2027, after the close.

For members

See MKC today

  • Today's verdict on MKC, and why
  • Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
  • The exact price that would change the verdict
  • Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
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Cite this page: Cluenex, “McCormick (MKC)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/mkc/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.