McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Shares Down 0.5% After Insider Selling

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)’s stock price dropped 0.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $316.00 and last traded at $317.02. Approximately 478,133 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 3,575,503 shares. The stock had previously closed at $318.48.

Specifically, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value 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 represents a 7.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $347.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.74.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $225.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $307.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $299.70.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mattern Capital Management LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 30,110 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $8,729,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Bell Bank grew its stake in McDonald’s by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Bell Bank now owns 12,699 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,681,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $1,628,000. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,512 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $2,471,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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.