McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Purchased by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,610 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $7,424,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’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 transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,906 shares of company stock worth $5,406,382 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $308.59 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $291.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $292.53. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued 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 dividend yield of 2.29%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Guggenheim cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

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.