Bristlecone Advisors LLC Has $261,000 Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Bristlecone Advisors LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 902 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Bristlecone Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $261,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $308.22 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $290.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $291.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted 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 negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total value of $321,457.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,155. This represents a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,406 shares of company stock valued at $2,150,857. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.13.

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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.