McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Earns “Hold” Rating from Argus

Argus reissued their hold rating on shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MCD. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of McDonald’s from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $273.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $320.60.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $281.95 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $203.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.72. McDonald’s has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $290.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $280.93.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 57.74%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.