Defined Financial Planning LLC Purchases New Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Defined Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,946 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $564,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Boltwood Capital Management increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $546,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,566,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in McDonald’s by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 899 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Modus Advisors LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,724,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. grew its stake in McDonald’s by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 736 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays increased their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.87.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $309.84 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $221.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s 50-day moving average is $306.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $299.00. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total transaction of $334,755.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $475,176. This represents a 41.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.