Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,835 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE MCD opened at $308.17 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $294.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $295.27. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $220.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company 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, Spain, and the U.K.