Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 95,352 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 27.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 437,899 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 95,352 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $126,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup raised their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $321.52 on Monday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $323.17. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $295.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $296.37. The company has a market cap of $229.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its 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 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % 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. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.