Quartz Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Quartz Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,361 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Quartz Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $684,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $304.76 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $218.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $292.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $294.10.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,106 shares of company stock worth $6,382,112 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

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.