McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $322.87.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wedbush lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $312.34 on Friday. McDonald’s has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The company has a market capitalization of $223.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $307.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.18.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.