McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Trading 0.8% Higher

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)’s stock price rose 0.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $253.47 and last traded at $252.56. Approximately 908,124 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 3,417,357 shares. The stock had previously closed at $250.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $312.11.

McDonald’s Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $259.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $276.86. The company has a market capitalization of $183.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.63 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.19 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 56.71%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’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 value of $371,893.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $387,285.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total value of $371,893.48. Following 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,593 shares of company stock valued at $1,472,518. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Clear Investment Research LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About McDonald’s

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.