McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Trading Down 0.1% - Should You Sell?

McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) was down 0.1% on Friday . The company traded as low as $315.03 and last traded at $315.96. Approximately 780,008 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 3,570,309 shares. The stock had previously closed at $316.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays cut their target price on McDonald's from $350.00 to $347.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on McDonald's from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on McDonald's from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.74.

McDonald's Trading Down 0.7 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $308.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $299.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $224.78 billion, a PE ratio of 27.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,853,850. This trade represents a 7.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, 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. Insiders have sold 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald's

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.