Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Acquires 1,012 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. raised its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 84.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,208 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,012 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $640,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE MCD opened at $308.17 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $294.06 and its 200-day moving average is $295.27. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The firm has a market cap of $220.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.