McDonald’s (MCD) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) will likely be releasing its Q1 2025 earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, May 1st. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $2.68 per share and revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, analysts expect McDonald’s to post $12 EPS for the current fiscal year and $13 EPS for the next fiscal year.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $318.58 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $307.79 and a 200 day moving average of $299.60. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $227.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $347.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total value of $334,755.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $475,176. This represents a 41.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total transaction of $299,071.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This trade represents a 7.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 28,136 shares of company stock worth $8,676,247 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently raised its position in McDonald’s stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 21.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.