PFG Investments LLC Grows Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

PFG Investments LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 28.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,658 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 103.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 413 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 69,824 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $17,266,000 after buying an additional 5,007 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 516,408 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $127,697,000 after buying an additional 23,643 shares in the last quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,108,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 59.7% during the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 9,338 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,309,000 after buying an additional 3,490 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday. Barclays decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.10.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock remained flat at $278.62 during midday trading on Tuesday. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,520,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,195,132. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $291.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $280.92. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $245.73 and a 52 week high of $302.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.72.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.