WBI Investments LLC Takes $1.17 Million Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WBI Investments LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,048 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Wimmer Associates 1 LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Wimmer Associates 1 LLC now owns 7,571 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,195,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. St. Clair Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $236,000. Triglav Skladi D.O.O. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $5,437,000. Texas Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,971,000. Finally, Tang Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $975,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $318.51 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $310.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $300.76. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $227.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.96, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.67. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. Analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $962,432.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,964,892.08. This represents a 24.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,636 shares of company stock valued at $5,420,722 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Eleven 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $325.91.

McDonald’s Profile

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.