Schroder Investment Management Group Boosts Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 970,711 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,400 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $281,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. American Money Management LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. American Money Management LLC now owns 21,304 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,176,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $19,513,000. Cambridge Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $8,150,000. Intrust Bank NA raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 8,178 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Biondo Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 40,689 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $11,795,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $306.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $301.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $298.15.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 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.