McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $319.46.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Baird R W cut McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Argus raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $292.63 on Tuesday. McDonald’s has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $300.06 and a 200 day moving average of $277.42. The firm has a market cap of $209.70 billion, a PE ratio of 25.68, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 58.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total transaction of $441,470.49. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $459,435.60. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $727,260.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,550. This trade represents a 44.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 35,596 shares of company stock worth $10,698,289. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 10.4% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $848,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 77.0% during the first quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,249 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,326,000 after purchasing an additional 3,589 shares during the period. Rogco LP lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 10.9% in the first quarter. Rogco LP now owns 5,044 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,422,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 47.4% in the 1st quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 12,899 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,637,000 after purchasing an additional 4,149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 27.7% during the first quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,795 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the period. 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.