McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 29.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 250,700 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,575 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $72,675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $309.25 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s fifty day moving average is $307.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $299.33. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush upped their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, 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 research note on Monday, February 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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, Spain, and the U.K.