McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Bought by Strong Tower Advisory Services

Strong Tower Advisory Services raised its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,450 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Strong Tower Advisory Services’ holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% in the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $281.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $203.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.37, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.72. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $245.73 and a one year high of $302.39. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $290.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $280.93.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $322.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on McDonald’s from $273.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.60.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.