McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) PT Raised to $320.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its target price upped by Robert W. Baird from $280.00 to $320.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. TD Cowen restated a hold rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Bank of America cut their target price on McDonald’s from $288.00 to $278.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $308.22.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $303.69 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $281.71 and its 200-day moving average is $270.93. The company has a market cap of $218.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.78, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.72. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $306.96.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 9,291 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $2,833,755.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,193,080. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 9,291 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $2,833,755.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,193,080. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 33,249 shares of company stock worth $9,865,866. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,387 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,373,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 312.9% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 41,370 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,543,000 after acquiring an additional 31,351 shares in the last quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group boosted its position in McDonald’s by 12.5% during the second quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group now owns 4,738 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,207,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. American Trust grew its stake in McDonald’s by 10.9% in the second quarter. American Trust now owns 7,653 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,762,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.