McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Receives $323.61 Average PT from Brokerages

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $323.61.

MCD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $307.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $220.24 billion, a PE ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $292.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $294.35.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $962,432.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,892.08. This trade represents a 24.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total value of $334,755.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $475,176. This trade represents a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,106 shares of company stock valued at $6,382,112. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 21.4% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 140,807 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $42,877,000 after purchasing an additional 24,787 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $127,000. Calton & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $200,000. Pictet North America Advisors SA grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 48,121 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $14,653,000 after buying an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $315,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.