Marion K. Gross Sells 1,499 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total value of $441,470.49. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $459,435.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $294.00 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $210.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $298.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $276.35.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 178.99%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Citigroup raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 32.3% during the first quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC now owns 176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at about $59,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.