UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $1.45 Billion Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,019,019 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 504,085 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,454,963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Waverly Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 46,271 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $13,413,000 after purchasing an additional 18,958 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Wealth Strategies LLC. bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $396,000. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 11,546 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,347,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 37,603 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,902,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $145,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:MCD opened at $321.23 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $229.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $310.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $300.94.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MCD. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price target (up previously from $340.00) on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Eleven 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $325.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total transaction of $334,755.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $475,176. This trade represents a 41.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. The trade was a 7.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,636 shares of company stock worth $5,420,722 over the last ninety days. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.