Howe & Rusling Inc. Acquires 28,006 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 467.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,006 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $9,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. United Bank boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 6,446 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,963,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $1,299,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its position in McDonald’s by 464.3% in the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 395 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its stake in McDonald’s by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,053 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $172,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.39.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $313.39 on Thursday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $300.34 and a 200 day moving average of $297.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $223.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given 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 2.26%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total value of $3,228,797.89. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,918.26. The trade was a 69.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656. 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.