Certuity LLC Grows Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Certuity LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 169.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,046 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,798 shares during the period. Certuity LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 25.0% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 48,627 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $12,564,000 after purchasing an additional 9,737 shares during the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders grew its position in McDonald’s by 181.9% in the 3rd quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 3,081 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 5,263 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,386,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Sweet Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sweet Financial Partners LLC now owns 8,817 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,323,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the period. Finally, Toews Corp ADV bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $764,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.67.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:MCD traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $273.46. 4,357,488 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,282,261. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $245.73 and a 52 week high of $302.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $281.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $282.15.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.