McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock Price Up 1.5%

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) rose 1.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $272.39 and last traded at $272.37. Approximately 853,151 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 3,588,102 shares. The stock had previously closed at $268.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Citigroup reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $303.00.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.7 %

The stock has a market cap of $195.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $256.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.23.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.92% and a net margin of 32.25%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total transaction of $371,893.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $387,285.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,557,060. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total transaction of $371,893.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $387,285.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 5,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,454,507. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 69,049,310 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $20,473,811,000 after acquiring an additional 599,745 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $2,684,899,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,347,048 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,178,474,000 after purchasing an additional 987,099 shares during the period. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 141,160.9% during the 4th quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 5,613,710 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,664,521,000 after buying an additional 5,609,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 66.9% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,542,550,000 after buying an additional 2,193,769 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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.