McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seventeen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $320.65.

Several research firms have recently commented on MCD. Baird R W lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 18th.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $289.89 on Wednesday. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $294.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.56. The company has a market cap of $207.74 billion, a PE ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 11.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total transaction of $441,470.49. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $459,435.60. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $900,550. This represents a 44.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,551 shares of company stock valued at $3,120,554. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $1,394,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,694,403,000 after acquiring an additional 49,106 shares during the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp increased its stake in McDonald’s by 58.9% in the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 138,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $35,194,000 after purchasing an additional 51,210 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 6.5% during the third quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 49,186 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $14,978,000 after purchasing an additional 2,997 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $16,870,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About McDonald’s

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.