McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Hits Estimates

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83, Zacks reports. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%.

McDonald’s Stock Up 4.7 %

MCD stock opened at $308.22 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $290.70 and its 200-day moving average is $291.16. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. KeyCorp cut their target price on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Guggenheim lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total transaction of $321,457.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,716,155. The trade was a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,406 shares of company stock worth $2,150,857. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.