Morgan Stanley Cuts McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $335.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price target reduced by Morgan Stanley from $340.00 to $335.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on MCD. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.39.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $306.83 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $219.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $297.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $297.19. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This trade represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by 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.