Barclays Cuts McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $350.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price objective decreased by Barclays from $380.00 to $350.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Cfra upgraded shares of McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned 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 price target of $335.14.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $275.62 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $311.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.40. The company has a market capitalization of $195.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald’s has a 12-month low of $274.83 and a 12-month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Encompass More Asset Management increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 2,120 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $648,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Richmond Investment Services LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Richmond Investment Services LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $696,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. now owns 8,809 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s beat Q1 earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $2.83 and revenue of $6.52 billion, helping reassure investors that the brand is still executing well in a tougher consumer environment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Global comparable sales rose 3.8%, supported by value meals, loyalty spending, and new menu items such as the Big Arch burger and specialty drinks, showing McDonald’s value push is driving traffic and sales growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts kept bullish ratings even as they trimmed price targets, reflecting confidence that McDonald’s can keep gaining share and recover if consumer demand stabilizes. Article Title

About McDonald’s

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.