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

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $309.99 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $222.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.22, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $291.58 and its 200-day moving average is $292.08.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side 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 dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday. Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $2,725,190,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $703,074,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 31,151.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $706,202,000 after acquiring an additional 2,311,721 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,054,387 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,175,326,000 after acquiring an additional 794,536 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 542.9% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 801,858 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $244,174,000 after purchasing an additional 677,139 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.