McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Trading 0.1% Higher – Here’s Why

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) traded up 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $310.15 and last traded at $309.45. 725,658 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 3,575,615 shares. The stock had previously closed at $309.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.87.

McDonald’s Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $222.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $307.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $299.35.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC now owns 988 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.9% in the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $560,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.5% in the first quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc now owns 7,486 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,170,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,535,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.