Christopher J. Kempczinski Sells 10,500 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $2.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $310.56. 1,441,047 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,171,360. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The firm has a market cap of $222.56 billion, a PE ratio of 27.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $291.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.08.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $1,394,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $1,628,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,694,403,000 after buying an additional 49,106 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $14,978,000 after buying an additional 2,997 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $2,471,000. Institutional investors 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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.