McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock Price Down 0.4%

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) shares fell 0.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $262.40 and last traded at $264.21. 523,611 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 3,514,688 shares. The stock had previously closed at $265.40.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.64.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $193.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $255.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.05.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.92% and a net margin of 32.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.87 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,225.38. The sale 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $285,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,842,800. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,454,507. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concentric Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Concentric Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,551 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $756,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Mechanics Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Mechanics Financial Corp now owns 5,331 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,581,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,268 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,833 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 161 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.