Capital Wealth Planning LLC Increases Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 773,044 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 43,879 shares during the period. McDonald’s accounts for approximately 2.1% of Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $224,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price target 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. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This trade represents a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $308.17 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $294.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $295.27. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $220.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

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.