Morgan Stanley Boosts McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $340.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price objective boosted by Morgan Stanley from $336.00 to $340.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

MCD has been the topic of a number of other reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Baird R W cut shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.6 %

MCD opened at $310.16 on Tuesday. McDonald’s has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $222.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.23, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average of $291.02 and a 200-day moving average of $291.56.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. Equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 11.73 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total value of $321,457.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,155. This represents a 10.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,406 shares of company stock valued at $2,150,857. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Riversedge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% in the third quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boltwood Capital Management boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About McDonald’s

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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.