First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown Increases Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown grew its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,464 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises approximately 0.7% of First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.4% during the third quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Riversedge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% in the third quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the third quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Founders Financial Alliance LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,583 shares in the company, valued at $3,632,712.10. The trade was a 0.00 % 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. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.57, for a total transaction of $328,128.43. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,484 shares in the company, valued at $3,428,777.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total value of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,632,712.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,596 shares of company stock valued at $10,698,289. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of MCD opened at $294.68 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The company’s fifty day moving average is $298.74 and its 200-day moving average is $276.35. The firm has a market cap of $211.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.99% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their target price on McDonald’s from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

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.