Robert W. Baird Lowers McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $300.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its target price lowered by Robert W. Baird from $305.00 to $300.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Erste Group Bank restated a hold rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded McDonald’s from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $340.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $317.37.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $274.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.81 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $280.53 and a 200 day moving average of $282.27.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.54% and a net margin of 33.36%. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.71%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% in the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.