Morgan Stanley Cuts McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $335.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $340.00 to $335.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Truist Financial decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.39.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.1 %

McDonald’s stock opened at $306.83 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $219.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $297.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.19.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS 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%. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other 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, Spain, and the U.K.