Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Acquires 3,496 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. grew its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 137.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,031 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,496 shares during the quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boltwood Capital Management lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. raised its position in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,566,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Modus Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 736 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Barn Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 871 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $297.45 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $212.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $296.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $296.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were 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. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.