Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Stock Price

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) had its target price upped by Robert W. Baird from $300.00 to $315.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the fast-food giant's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MCD. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. BTIG Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on McDonald's from $350.00 to $347.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $325.26.

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of MCD traded down $1.86 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $311.78. 3,993,672 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,572,677. The business's 50 day moving average price is $309.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.99. McDonald's has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.95 billion, a PE ratio of 27.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.67. The firm had revenue of $5.96 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald's will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,100 shares in the company, valued at $3,853,850. The trade was a 7.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,136 shares of company stock worth $8,676,247. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald's

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

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.