6,785 Shares in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Bought by Forefront Wealth Management Inc.

Forefront Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,785 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,967,000. McDonald’s comprises approximately 1.8% of Forefront Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 110.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $305.07 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $217.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $298.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.38.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.39.

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.