Marion K. Gross Sells 1,498 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $446,721.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $287.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $206.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $267.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $270.81. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.67 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 56.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $20,473,811,000 after purchasing an additional 599,745 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,684,899,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in McDonald’s by 15.5% during the 4th 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 buying an additional 987,099 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in McDonald’s by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,567,030,000 after buying an additional 188,888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC increased its position in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $357.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $288.00 to $278.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.89.

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.