Insider Selling: McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Insider Sells $321,325.62 in Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $321,325.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,036,366.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

McDonald’s Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $292.61 on Monday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The company’s 50 day moving average is $297.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.96. The company has a market cap of $210.88 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). The business 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $320.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.22.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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.