J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Purchases 1,481 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 202,013 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,481 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $58,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $310.82 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $307.38 and a 200-day moving average of $299.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 issued its earnings results 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MCD. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.87.

McDonald’s Company 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.