McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. 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, TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $303.60 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $216.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $297.49 and a 200 day moving average of $297.13. McDonald’s has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, 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 transaction of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 over the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently 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.