First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. Grows Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,000 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 100 shares during the quarter. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 10,702.5% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,174,426 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $644,739,000 after buying an additional 2,154,297 shares during the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $192,165,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 174.7% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 947,653 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $249,693,000 after purchasing an additional 602,707 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 16.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,997,877 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $789,762,000 after purchasing an additional 429,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 39.6% during the third quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,329 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $344,139,000 after purchasing an additional 370,699 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE MCD opened at $273.12 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $281.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $281.53. The company has a market cap of $196.92 billion, a PE ratio of 23.61, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Citigroup cut their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.41.

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.