McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Position Boosted by Arete Wealth Advisors LLC

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,052 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for 0.7% of Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $10,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,169,342 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $20,341,391,000 after buying an additional 526,466 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,074,438 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,652,768,000 after acquiring an additional 157,458 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,082,894 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,592,892,000 after purchasing an additional 128,800 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $2,725,190,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,803,833 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,682,473,000 after purchasing an additional 52,195 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $311.69 on Thursday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $303.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.56. The firm has a market cap of $222.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $962,432.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,964,892.08. The trade was a 24.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was 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 approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. Company 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.