Sage Mountain Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,490 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total value of $3,228,797.89. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,918.26. This trade represents a 69.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of 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 upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $316.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $226.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $296.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $296.56.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released 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%. Research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

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.