Short Interest in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Expands By 26.5%

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,030,000 shares, an increase of 26.5% from the February 13th total of 8,720,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,290,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.1 %

McDonald’s stock traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $303.60. 2,434,593 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,334,261. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $297.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.02. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Wedbush increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.39.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 30,110 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $8,729,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. Bell Bank raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Bell Bank now owns 12,699 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,681,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,628,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,694,403,000 after purchasing an additional 49,106 shares during the period. Finally, Integral Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,512 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.