McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Downgraded by Loop Capital to "Hold"

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Loop Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday,Finviz reports. They presently have a $315.00 price target on the fast-food giant's stock. Loop Capital's price target indicates a potential upside of 2.02% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MCD. Wedbush boosted their price target on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday. Northcoast Research lowered shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of McDonald's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald's presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $324.96.

McDonald's Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of MCD opened at $308.76 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $312.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $302.46. McDonald's has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $220.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald's will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.07, for a total value of $295,850.73. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,516,496.27. This trade represents a 7.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald's

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald's in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.