Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Invests $4.83 Million in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,644 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $4,825,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $308.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $290.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $291.16. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,882. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,406 shares of company stock valued at $2,150,857 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $336.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Baird R W cut McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.