Baird R W Lowers McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) to Hold

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) was downgraded by equities researchers at Baird R W from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America increased their target price on McDonald’s from $308.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.22.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $301.61 on Wednesday. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90. The company’s 50 day moving average is $296.97 and its 200 day moving average is $274.51. The company has a market cap of $217.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.17 EPS. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,632,712.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total value of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,632,712.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,998 shares of company stock valued at $9,935,493. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 31.6% during the first quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 24.5% during the first quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. now owns 5,517 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,556,000 after buying an additional 1,085 shares in the last quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the first quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,350 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $663,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 15.3% during the first quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 3,329 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $886,000 after buying an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 5.1% during the first quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC now owns 811 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.