McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD) Insider Sells $299,071.50 in Stock

McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total transaction of $299,071.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares in the company, valued at $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

McDonald's Stock Down 0.2 %

MCD stock traded down $0.50 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $318.58. The company had a trading volume of 3,209,437 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,586,293. McDonald's Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $307.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $299.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald's

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on McDonald's from $310.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup decreased their target price on McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Truist Financial cut their price target on McDonald's from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.74.

McDonald's Company Profile

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, Spain, and the U.K.

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