UPDATE 1-McCormick Q3 profit tops Street, ups low end of FY view

* Q3 EPS 57 cents vs est 54 cents

* Q3 sales $791.7 mln vs est $802.9 mln

* Sees 2009 EPS $2.26-$2.28

Sept 24 (Reuter) - Spice maker McCormick & Co (MKC.N) posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by the Lawry's acquisition and cost cuts, and raised the lower end of its 2009 profit view.

The company sees 2009 profit between $2.26 and $2.28 a share, including a restructuring charge of 5 cents. It previously forecast earnings of $2.24 to $2.28 a share.

McCormick expects 2009 sales to grow by 2 to 3 percent.

Analysts were looking for 2009 earnings of $2.31 a share, before items, on revenue of $3.24 billion.

For the third quarter, the company, which sells spices, seasonings and food coloring, earned $75.1 million, or 57 cents a share, compared with $68.6 million, or 52 cents a share, a year ago.

Sales rose 1 percent to $791.7 million.

Analysts on average were looking for a profit of 54 cents a share, before items, on revenue of $802.9 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

McCormick & Co, which acquired the Lawry's business last August from Unilever PLC (ULVR.L), said sales growth for the consumer business was led by the acquisition.

Shares of Sparks, Maryland-based McCormick closed at $34.75 Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Vidya Lakshmi in Bangalore; Editing by Anne Pallivathuckal)