Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC Increases Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,808 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 182 shares during the quarter. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $308.59 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $291.78 and a 200 day moving average of $292.20. The stock has a market cap of $221.14 billion, a PE ratio of 27.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’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 value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,906 shares of company stock valued at $5,406,382 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays raised their target price 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. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Profile

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.