1,731 Shares in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Acquired by Clare Market Investments LLC

Clare Market Investments LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,731 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $502,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vista Investment Partners II LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $628,000. Morton Community Bank bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $1,077,000. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,574 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,036,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 175,861 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $50,981,000 after acquiring an additional 1,842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 437,899 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $126,943,000 after acquiring an additional 95,352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $316.94 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $296.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $296.56. The firm has a market cap of $226.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MCD. Wedbush raised their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.