Insider Selling: McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Insider Sells $328,128.43 in Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.1 %

MCD opened at $303.65 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $304.29. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $279.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $270.89. The company has a market capitalization of $217.82 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.72.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its 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). The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for 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%. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 4,384 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,300,000 after buying an additional 753 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,899 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,796 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $829,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 99.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 5,892 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,190,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCD. Evercore ISI raised their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $288.00 to $278.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Guggenheim increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $275.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $308.22.

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.