MKC vs POST vs CAG Stock Comparison

Mccormick, Post Holdings and Conagra Brands Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MKC Mccormick & Co Inc
$48.00 +0.1% 1M -28.2% 1Y
Market cap
$12.81B
P/E
8.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.69B
Div. yield
0.04%
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
8 wins
POST Post Holdings, Inc.
$80.48 +10.0% 1M -26.4% 1Y
Market cap
$3.58B
P/E
12.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.41B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
1 win
CAG Conagra Brands Inc.
$14.57 +1.8% 1M -20.3% 1Y
Market cap
$6.82B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$11.24B
Div. yield
–
Packaged Foods Consumer Staples
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Mccormick leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Mccormick 8, Conagra Brands 2, Post Holdings 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMKCPOSTCAGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $12.81B $3.58B $6.82B MKC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 8.6x 12.2x -3.6x MKC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.4x 10.9x 9.7x CAG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.2% +6.2% -1.8% MKC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 19.4% 3.5% -17.0% MKC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.0% 5.6% -12.3% MKC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 5.3x 3.9x MKC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.04% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -28.2% -26.4% -20.3% CAG
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -9.8%/yr +3.9%/yr -14.9%/yr POST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.4% 32.1% 32.0% MKC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 72/100 71/100 48/100 MKC

Percentile Scorecard

MKCPOSTCAG

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisMKCPOSTCAG
Valuation 61 #18 of 45 80 #10 of 45 77 #11 of 45
Growth 83 #8 of 42 76 #11 of 42 5 #40 of 42
Profitability 92 #4 of 40 69 #13 of 40 39 #25 of 40
Financial Health 52 #23 of 47 33 #32 of 47 37 #30 of 47
Shareholder Returns 70 #10 of 31 100 #1 of 31 83 #6 of 31
Overall 72 71 48
  • MKC ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • POST ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods
  • CAG ranked among 48 companies in Branded Foods

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodMKCPOSTCAGSPY
1 month +0.1%+10.0%+1.8% -0.8%
3 months -5.2%-11.8%-4.4% +3.5%
6 months -4.8%-22.5%+3.2% +7.0%
Year to date -29.5%-18.7%-15.8% +12.2%
1 year -28.2%-26.4%-20.3% +13.0%
3 years -23.8%-0.2%-46.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year -8.7%-0.1%-18.8% +23.1%
5 years -40.4%+20.9%-55.3% +68.6%
5 years, per year -9.8%+3.9%-14.9% +11.0%
10 years +0.6%+57.7%-61.0% +258.0%
10 years, per year +0.1%+4.7%-9.0% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMKCPOSTCAGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.4%32.1%32.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.4%33.2%31.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.34-0.11-0.31 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.90-0.82-0.64 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -57.7%-39.9%-69.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -33.0%-29.8%-27.2% -1.8%
52-week high $71.65$114.61$20.02 $779.14
52-week low $44.15$72.50$12.58 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleMKCPOSTCAG
P/E now vs peer median 8.7xmedian 20.5x 12.4xmedian 20.5x -3.7xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 0.8x 0.4xmedian 0.8x 0.6xmedian 0.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 12.3x 7.9xmedian 12.3x 7.6xmedian 12.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 14.0xmedian 14.0x 6.4xmedian 14.0x 6.0xmedian 14.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 1.4x 1.1xmedian 1.4x 1.1xmedian 1.4x
PEG now vs peer median 0.27median 0.42 1.77median 0.42 0.07median 0.42

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsMKCPOSTCAG
Revenue $7.69B $8.41B $11.24B
Gross profit $3.00B $2.42B $2.68B
Operating income $1.03B $808.00M -$1.71B
Net income $1.51B $293.10M -$1.91B
Free cash flow $925.90M $553.10M $1.15B
EPS (diluted) $5.53 $5.71 $-3.97
Cash & equivalents $331.10M $265.60M $371.60M
Total debt $5.02B $7.63B $7.76B
Shares (diluted) 269.40M 51.30M 480.00M
Enterprise value $11.87B $2.59B $6.13B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricMKCPOSTCAG
P/E 8.7x 12.4x -3.7x
P/FCF 14.0x 6.4x 6.0x
P/Operating cash flow 11.3x 3.6x 5.4x
P/S 1.7x 0.4x 0.6x
P/B 1.7x 1.1x 1.1x
P/Tangible book 4.9x 11.8x 1.5x
EV/EBITDA 13.5x 7.9x 7.6x
EV/EBIT 17.1x 13.5x -8.4x
EV/Revenue 2.3x 1.3x 1.3x
EV/FCF 19.0x 19.7x 12.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.4x 11.0x 11.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.27 1.77 0.07

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMKCPOSTCAG
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.2% 6.2% -1.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 8.3% -2.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 15.7% 4.8% -7.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 12.1% -7.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -3.2% -1.7% -230.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.5% 11.8% -39.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 93.3% -20.0% -324.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 32.7% -2.8% -55.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 91.5% -2.7% -324.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 32.2% 7.0% -55.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 29.8% 6.5% -17.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 2.4% 15.5% 2.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 41.3% 27.8% -17.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 15.9% 13.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMKCPOSTCAG
Gross margin 39.1% 28.8% 23.8%
EBITDA margin 17.0% 16.4% 16.8%
Operating margin 13.4% 9.6% -15.2%
Pretax margin 10.8% 4.7% -16.7%
Net margin 19.4% 3.5% -17.0%
FCF margin 12.0% 6.6% 10.3%
Operating cash flow margin 14.8% 11.8% 11.4%
Return on equity 19.0% 9.3% -29.9%
Return on assets 8.7% 2.3% -10.9%
Return on invested capital 6.0% 5.6% -12.3%
Return on capital employed 8.5% 6.8% -11.8%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.7x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.8x 3.4x -0.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 1.0% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMKCPOSTCAG
Debt / assets 30.1% 59.4% 43.8%
Debt / equity 0.7x 2.5x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 5.3x 3.9x
Debt / FCF 5.4x 13.8x 6.7x
Liabilities / assets 54.4% 76.0% 63.8%
Equity / assets 45.6% 24.0% 36.2%
Interest coverage 4.6x 1.9x –
Current ratio 0.7x 1.9x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.9x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.82 1.42 1.04

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMKCPOSTCAG
Dividend yield 4.0% – 8.4%
Net buyback yield -0.1% 33.7% 0.8%
Shareholder yield 3.9% 33.7% 9.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 33.6% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 54.8% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 6.9% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.1% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusMKCPOSTCAG
Forward P/E 16.4xFY2026 10.9xFY2026 9.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.93FY2026 $7.40FY2026 $1.50FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -2.3%FY2026 +2.4%FY2026 -12.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.9% -6.6% -2.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.53BFY2026 $7.73BFY2026 $10.36BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.1%FY2026 -5.2%FY2026 -8.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.6% +8.9% +1.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMKCPOSTCAG
Held by institutions 88.9% 100.0% 88.4%
Institutions holding 948 418 785
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.8% -0.3% +3.9%
Institutions buying 478 177 486
Institutions selling 342 178 207
Buyers to sellers 1.40 0.99 2.35

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

MKCPOSTCAG
MKC 1.00 0.29 0.58
POST 0.29 1.00 0.37
CAG 0.58 0.37 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MKC, POST and CAG?

Mccormick (MKC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mccormick (MKC) $12.81B, Post Holdings (POST) $3.58B, Conagra Brands (CAG) $6.82B.

Which stock is cheaper, MKC, POST and CAG?

Mccormick (MKC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mccormick (MKC) 8.6x, Post Holdings (POST) 12.2x, Conagra Brands (CAG) -3.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Conagra Brands (CAG) is cheapest (Mccormick (MKC) 16.4x, Post Holdings (POST) 10.9x, Conagra Brands (CAG) 9.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Mccormick (MKC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Mccormick (MKC) +13.2%, Post Holdings (POST) +6.2%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -1.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mccormick (MKC) has the highest net margin (Mccormick (MKC) 19.4%, Post Holdings (POST) 3.5%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -17.0%). On return on invested capital, Mccormick (MKC) leads (Mccormick (MKC) 6.0%, Post Holdings (POST) 5.6%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -12.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Conagra Brands (CAG) returned the most: Mccormick (MKC) -28.2%, Post Holdings (POST) -26.4%, Conagra Brands (CAG) -20.3%. Over five years, Post Holdings (POST) compounded fastest (Mccormick (MKC) -9.8%/yr, Post Holdings (POST) +3.9%/yr, Conagra Brands (CAG) -14.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Mccormick (MKC) 0.04%, Post Holdings (POST) 0.00%, Conagra Brands (CAG) 0.00%. Post Holdings (POST) and Conagra Brands (CAG) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mccormick (MKC) has been the steadiest (Mccormick (MKC) 31.4%, Post Holdings (POST) 32.1%, Conagra Brands (CAG) 32.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MKC, POST and CAG?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mccormick (MKC) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.