Marion K. Gross Sells 1,499 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $453,882. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of MCD stock opened at $294.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $294.61 and a 200-day moving average of $284.94.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.65.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Modus Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. NRI Wealth Management LC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $1,868,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,937 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,591,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 49.3% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,093 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 13.8% during the third quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,939 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,722,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.