McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Acquired by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 200,059 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,044 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $59,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.1% during the third quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,344 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,462,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,124,000. Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,703 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $976,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $104,000. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 20,835 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,489,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19 shares in the company, valued at $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,997 shares of company stock worth $836,300 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, March 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.74.

McDonald’s Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE MCD traded down $6.64 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $259.13. 2,719,030 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,268,201. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.75 billion, a PE ratio of 22.23, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $273.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $283.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.17 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.71%.

McDonald’s Profile

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.