McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Shares Up 0.5% - Time to Buy?

McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 0.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $314.22 and last traded at $314.16. 506,020 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 3,709,320 shares. The stock had previously closed at $312.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of McDonald's from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wedbush increased their price target on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their price target on McDonald's from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on McDonald's from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.87.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $222.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $307.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.32.

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

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. McDonald's's payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,497 shares of company stock worth $8,461,400 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald's

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

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.