McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Nine equities research 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. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $323.39.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total transaction of $286,395.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,978 shares in the company, valued at $4,263,290. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $305.07 on Monday. McDonald’s has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $298.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $297.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $217.96 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued 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 dividend yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

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.