McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski Sells 11,727 Shares

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,966,996.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $300.53. 1,985,390 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,450,787. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.58 billion, a PE ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $279.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $270.68. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. McDonald’s’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 56.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $275.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $307.48.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MCD. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.