McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume

Shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 2,211,676 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the previous session's volume of 3,332,937 shares.The stock last traded at $260.36 and had previously closed at $253.80.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on McDonald's from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group cut their target price on McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on McDonald's from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $315.14.

McDonald's Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $264.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $280.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. McDonald's's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. Research analysts forecast that McDonald's Co. will post 12.19 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. McDonald's's payout ratio is 56.71%.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,997 shares of company stock valued at $815,145. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald's

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

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.