Merit Financial Group LLC Has $7.52 Million Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 15.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,926 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 3,533 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $7,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $72,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.39.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of MCD opened at $280.90 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $292.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $286.97. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $201.30 billion, a PE ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. Analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $321,325.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,036,366.30. The trade was a 9.57 % decrease in their position. 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,704 shares of company stock valued at $2,829,428. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.