McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stake Lifted by Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC

Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 27.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,098 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 239 shares during the quarter. Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in McDonald’s by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,809 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,451 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $102,000. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 13,611 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Finally, ASB Consultores LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $284,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.4 %

MCD stock opened at $305.66 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $294.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $295.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting 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, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Wedbush lifted 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.