Spotlight on McDonald's: Analyzing the Surge in Options Activity

Financial giants have made a conspicuous bearish move on McDonald's. Our analysis of options history for McDonald's MCD revealed 14 unusual trades.

Delving into the details, we found 35% of traders were bullish, while 64% showed bearish tendencies. Out of all the trades we spotted, 5 were puts, with a value of $301,796, and 9 were calls, valued at $957,551.

Projected Price Targets

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $280.0 to $310.0 for McDonald's over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for McDonald's's options for a given strike price.

Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of McDonald's's whale activity within a strike price range from $280.0 to $310.0 in the last 30 days.

McDonald's Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Options Call Chart

Noteworthy Options Activity:

Symbol PUT/CALL Trade Type Sentiment Exp. Date Strike Price Total Trade Price Open Interest Volume
MCD CALL TRADE BEARISH 06/20/25 $300.00 $510.6K 1 230
MCD CALL SWEEP BEARISH 09/20/24 $295.00 $161.2K 357 0
MCD PUT SWEEP BEARISH 02/16/24 $310.00 $103.0K 50 50
MCD PUT SWEEP BEARISH 03/15/24 $290.00 $69.7K 2.2K 277
MCD PUT SWEEP BEARISH 03/15/24 $290.00 $64.1K 2.2K 415

About McDonald's

McDonald's is the largest restaurant owner-operator in the world, with 2023 system sales of $130 billion across nearly than 42,000 stores and 115 markets. McDonald's pioneered the franchise model, building its footprint through partnerships with independent restaurant franchisees and master franchise partners around the globe. The firm earns roughly 60% of its revenue from franchise royalty fees and lease payments, with most of the remainder coming from company-operated stores across its three core segments: the United States, internationally operated markets, and international developmental/licensed markets.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding McDonald's, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

McDonald's's Current Market Status

  • Currently trading with a volume of 1,038,481, the MCD's price is up by 1.01%, now at $291.07.
  • RSI readings suggest the stock is currently is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
  • Anticipated earnings release is in 68 days.

Expert Opinions on McDonald's

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $332.0.

  • Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Truist Securities keeps a Buy rating on McDonald's with a target price of $340.
  • An analyst from Baird downgraded its action to Outperform with a price target of $315.
  • An analyst from Wedbush downgraded its action to Outperform with a price target of $330.
  • Maintaining their stance, an analyst from RBC Capital continues to hold a Outperform rating for McDonald's, targeting a price of $335.
  • Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Barclays keeps a Overweight rating on McDonald's with a target price of $340.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest McDonald's options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.

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Posted In: OptionsMarketsBZI-UOA
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