Insider Selling: McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) CEO Sells $3,518,451.81 in Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $303.69 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $306.96. The stock has a market cap of $218.86 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $281.71 and a 200-day moving average of $271.18.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 56.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Clear Investment Research LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $275.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.22.

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.