Joseph M. Erlinger Sells 1,099 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $321,325.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,385 shares in the company, valued at $3,036,366.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $292.61 on Monday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $297.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.96.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. McDonald’s’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the first quarter worth $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 32.3% during the 1st quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC now owns 176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $65,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $308.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.22.

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.