Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC Increases Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,892 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 85 shares during the quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total transaction of $321,457.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,716,155. This trade represents a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,406 shares of company stock worth $2,150,857 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.6 %

MCD opened at $310.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $291.02 and its 200-day moving average is $291.56. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wedbush lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Baird R W cut McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.