McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Rating Increased to Buy at The Goldman Sachs Group

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $345.00 price objective on the fast-food giant's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's target price points to a potential upside of 14.90% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on MCD. Citigroup upped their target price on McDonald's from $364.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Northcoast Research cut McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays increased 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. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $260.00 price objective (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $322.29.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $1.87 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $300.26. The stock had a trading volume of 2,781,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,534,051. The firm has a market cap of $214.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.51, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald's has a fifty-two week low of $246.12 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $304.35 and a 200-day moving average of $302.44.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67. The firm had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.17 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 195.27% and a net margin of 31.75%. The business's revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald's will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.52, for a total value of $270,920.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,222 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,949,251.44. This trade represents a 8.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 8,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,657,400. The trade was a 10.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,817 shares of company stock valued at $1,165,843 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald's

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its stake in McDonald's by 0.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in McDonald's by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $560,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC increased its stake in McDonald's by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Security Financial Services INC. increased its stake in McDonald's by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 5,043 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.