McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Insider Sells $321,457.50 in Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total transaction of $321,457.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,716,155. The trade was a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded up $0.12 on Tuesday, hitting $296.31. 2,252,222 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,499,777. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $299.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $278.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 58.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $320.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $31,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors 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.