Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. Raises Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,326 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,840,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norris Perne & French LLP MI acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $268,000. Vicus Capital acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the first quarter worth $336,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.5% during the first quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 23,122 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,518,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 10,405 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,934,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Foguth Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,768,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,550. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,550. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $321,325.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,385 shares in the company, valued at $3,036,366.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,818. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 3.0 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $292.50 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.83, a PEG ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.73. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $297.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $274.88.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. On average, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird cut McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $320.00 to $290.00 in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their price target on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Guggenheim downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a 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 $318.22.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.