McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-seven brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $325.48.

MCD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th.

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $315.73 on Tuesday. McDonald's has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $225.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $309.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $299.88.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.67. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The firm's revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. Analysts predict that McDonald's will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 62.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $962,432.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,964,892.08. This trade represents a 24.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald's

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 3.5% during the first quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC now owns 988 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald's by 1.9% during the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 2.5% in the first quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc boosted its stake in McDonald's by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc now owns 7,486 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $2,170,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald's by 0.4% during the first quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,117 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $2,535,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

About McDonald's

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.

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