McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock Price Up 0.5%

Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) traded up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $273.24 and last traded at $272.55. 471,099 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 3,557,822 shares. The stock had previously closed at $271.15.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MCD. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $288.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $303.00.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.3 %

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $258.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $271.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.92%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.13, for a total value of $291,377.87. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,878 shares in the company, valued at $4,209,734.14. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.13, for a total transaction of $291,377.87. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,878 shares in the company, valued at $4,209,734.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total transaction of $371,893.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,285.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,794 shares of company stock valued at $1,234,491 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in McDonald’s by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 69,049,310 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $20,473,811,000 after acquiring an additional 599,745 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,684,899,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,347,048 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,178,474,000 after purchasing an additional 987,099 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in McDonald’s by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,567,030,000 after buying an additional 188,888 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 141,160.9% during the fourth quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 5,613,710 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,664,521,000 after buying an additional 5,609,736 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.