McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Erste Group Bank

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) was upgraded by stock analysts at Erste Group Bank from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

MCD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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. Citigroup increased their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.39.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $303.60 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $297.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $297.13. McDonald’s has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.66, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced 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 negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About McDonald’s

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.