Easterly Investment Partners LLC Buys Shares of 10,297 McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Easterly Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 10,297 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $2,985,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Boltwood Capital Management raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,566,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 736 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Barn Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 871 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 2.1 %

MCD opened at $313.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.51, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $300.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $297.89.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup raised their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock worth $9,886,656 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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, Spain, and the U.K.