AXQ Capital LP Acquires New Shares in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,806 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,103,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.6 %

MCD stock opened at $305.07 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The business has a fifty day moving average of $298.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.38. The stock has a market cap of $217.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wedbush lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

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.