McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Now Covered by The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a neutral rating and a $288.00 price objective on the fast-food giant’s stock.

MCD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $302.00 to $288.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $315.14.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.0 %

MCD opened at $253.58 on Thursday. McDonald’s has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $281.32. The stock has a market cap of $182.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 180.74%. The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.13, for a total value of $291,377.87. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,209,734.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.13, for a total value of $291,377.87. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,209,734.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares in the company, valued at $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,096 shares of company stock valued at $1,127,678 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Clear Investment Research LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.