McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Insider Joseph M. Erlinger Sells 1,098 Shares

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD opened at $276.81 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average of $282.61 and a 200 day moving average of $281.45. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $245.73 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 57.74%.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.72.

About McDonald’s

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.