ST. Nicholas Private Asset Management Inc. Invests $4.87 Million in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

ST. Nicholas Private Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 16,792 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $4,868,000. McDonald’s comprises about 4.3% of ST. Nicholas Private Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $44,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $304.76 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $292.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.92.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total transaction of $334,755.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $475,176. The trade was a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,205 shares of company stock valued at $6,703,569 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.