Key Points
- McDonald’s insider Joseph Erlinger sold 5,252 shares on June 10 at an average price of $284.32, totaling about $1.49 million. After the sale, he still held 7,734 shares, a 40.44% reduction in his ownership.
- The stock was modestly higher, opening at $282.98 and up about 0.3% in Thursday trading. McDonald’s remains near the lower end of its recent range, with a 12-month high of $341.75 and low of $271.85.
- Analysts remain generally positive on McDonald’s, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.26. Recent earnings also beat expectations, and the company continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $1.86 per share.
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) insider Joseph Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
McDonald's Stock Up 0.3%
Shares of MCD opened at $282.98 on Thursday. McDonald's Corporation has a 12-month low of $271.85 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The business's fifty day moving average is $290.34 and its 200 day moving average is $307.07. The stock has a market cap of $201.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.41.
McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. McDonald's's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.
McDonald's Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.34%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald's
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $10,853,000 after purchasing an additional 16,252 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Sarl increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $19,639,000 after purchasing an additional 6,079 shares during the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 3,866 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at $7,493,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,029,572 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $312,877,000 after purchasing an additional 51,039 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Truist Financial increased their target price on McDonald's from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on McDonald's from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on McDonald's from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut McDonald's from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $336.26.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on McDonald's
More McDonald's News
Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald's this week:
- Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s launched FIFA World Cup meal promotions with collectible cups, toys, and Squishmallows, which could boost customer traffic and merchandise-led demand. McDonald's FIFA World Cup meals with Squishmallows and 9 collectible cups are here
- Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing AI at select drive-thrus, potentially improving speed, labor efficiency, and long-term margins if the rollout works well. McDonald’s testing AI drive-thru system at select US locations
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view McDonald’s favorably, with one report saying the stock carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus. McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts
- Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer framed McDonald’s as a stock investors can build into over time, reinforcing the view that it is a defensive long-term holding. Jim Cramer Discusses a Strategic Buying Plan to Build a Great Cost Basis in McDonald’s
- Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is also getting attention from articles about its collectible World Cup cups and menu shake-up, which are mainly promotional and likely more relevant to customer engagement than to fundamentals. McDonald’s World Cup 2026 meal deal – how to collect all the cups and which players are on them
- Negative Sentiment: An insider sale by McDonald’s executive Joseph M. Erlinger may create some caution, even though insider transactions do not necessarily signal a change in business outlook. Joseph M. Erlinger insider sale
- Negative Sentiment: Recent reporting has also highlighted customer frustration over a drive-thru change and workplace culture/safety concerns, which could pressure sentiment if they persist. McDonald's quietly makes a major change to its drive thru and customers are furious
About McDonald's
(
Get Free Report)
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald's serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.
Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand's national and international expansion.
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