Sherman Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Sherman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,925 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $558,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,383,235.70. This trade represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MCD. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $308.17 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The company has a market capitalization 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. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $294.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.27.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share 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 paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

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.