Liberty One Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 92.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 198,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 95,251 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up approximately 3.4% of Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $60,380,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 84.1% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $41,422,000 after buying an additional 64,757 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 206,004 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $60,188,000 after acquiring an additional 2,180 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% in the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,976,000 after acquiring an additional 4,571 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after acquiring an additional 3,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 58,515 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $17,096,000 after purchasing an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $306.78 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $305.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.18, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,861,832.16. This trade represents a 34.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho upgraded McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $328.88.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.