McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) PT Raised to $345.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price target raised by UBS Group from $305.00 to $345.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on MCD. Barclays lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Citigroup increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $310.50.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $305.04 on Wednesday. McDonald’s has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $306.96. The business has a 50-day moving average of $290.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.56. The company has a market capitalization of $218.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 11.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,966,996.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,751 shares of company stock valued at $9,493,973 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 23,405 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,940,000 after acquiring an additional 4,811 shares in the last quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $114,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 1,320.4% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 767 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 713 shares in the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 1,705 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 116,198 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $34,454,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.