Barclays Boosts McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $325.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price target lifted by Barclays from $300.00 to $325.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

MCD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.22.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD opened at $301.61 on Tuesday. McDonald’s has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $296.97 and a 200 day moving average of $274.51. The firm has a market cap of $217.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.60, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 60.10%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,550. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,998 shares of company stock valued at $9,935,493. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 2.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the third quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,057,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Founders Financial Alliance LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% during the second quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, McAdam LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% in the third quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 2,176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $663,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.