McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock Price Up 1.5% – What’s Next?

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)’s stock price traded up 1.5% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $315.65 and last traded at $314.49. Approximately 850,852 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 3,576,669 shares. The stock had previously closed at $309.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.87.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.2 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $307.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $299.18. The stock has a market cap of $223.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.42, a PEG 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 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. On average, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

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