McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Receives $322.87 Average Price Target from Analysts

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $322.87.

MCD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $309.84 on Friday. McDonald’s has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $306.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.37 billion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,497 shares of company stock worth $8,461,400 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.