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

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Argus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports.

MCD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (down previously from $319.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday. Barclays upped their price objective on McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BTIG Research reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $321.79.

McDonald's Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:MCD traded down $1.59 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $301.57. 2,424,707 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,504,181. The firm has a market cap of $215.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56. McDonald's has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The stock's 50-day moving average is $311.91 and its 200-day moving average is $302.88.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total transaction of $299,071.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,853,850. The trade was a 7.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.9% in the first quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 3,630 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,134,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in McDonald's by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC now owns 988 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC grew its holdings in McDonald's by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $560,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC grew its holdings in McDonald's by 2.5% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Security Financial Services INC. increased its position in McDonald's by 0.7% during the first quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 5,043 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,575,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.