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

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price objective reduced by Morgan Stanley from $340.00 to $335.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the fast-food giant’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 10.84% from the company’s previous close.

MCD has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. 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. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD stock traded up $2.41 during trading on Monday, hitting $302.24. 1,080,638 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,331,918. McDonald’s has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $296.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $296.91. The stock has a market cap of $215.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is 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.