McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Acquired by American Trust

American Trust increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,768 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,365,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.4% in the third quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd 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 grew 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 in the last quarter. Finally, GDS Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $296.52 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $299.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.82. The company has a market cap of $212.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.75 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.50.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $900,550. This represents a 44.68 % 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, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. This trade represents a 19.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,099 shares of company stock valued at $10,273,786. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Profile

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.