Oxford Asset Management LLP Buys New Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,416 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $410,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boltwood Capital Management increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Pettee Investors Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,566,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,724,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 736 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,853,850. This trade represents a 7.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $347.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.74.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $316.60 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $308.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.78. The company has a market capitalization of $226.20 billion, a PE ratio of 27.80, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 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 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.