U S Wealth Group LLC. Purchases Shares of 7,953 McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

U S Wealth Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,953 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $2,305,000. McDonald’s makes up about 1.7% of U S Wealth Group LLC.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’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 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 sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $299.68 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $304.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $298.80. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. KeyCorp raised their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.30.

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.