World Equity Group Inc. Acquires 5,492 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

World Equity Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 92.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 11,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 5,492 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Delta Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $760,000. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,554 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,349,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927 shares in the last quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 4,904 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,422,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 33.7% in the 4th quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lansing Street Advisors grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 50,573 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $14,661,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Barclays upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 22,205 shares of company stock worth $6,703,569. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.76 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The company has a market cap of $218.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $292.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.92.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

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.