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 the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.57, for a total transaction of $328,128.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,428,777.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded up $1.21 on Tuesday, hitting $300.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,319,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,458,272. The company has a market capitalization of $216.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.72. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $278.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $270.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,387 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 312.9% during the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 41,370 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,543,000 after buying an additional 31,351 shares during the period. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 12.5% during the second quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group now owns 4,738 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,207,000 after buying an additional 528 shares in the last quarter. American Trust boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 10.9% in the second quarter. American Trust now owns 7,653 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,950,000 after buying an additional 754 shares during the period. Finally, Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth approximately $2,762,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $307.48.

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.