McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Holdings Raised by Investment Partners Asset Management Inc.

Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,500 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,567,030,000 after purchasing an additional 188,888 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 66.9% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,542,550,000 after buying an additional 2,193,769 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 8.0% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,216,677,000 after buying an additional 354,196 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 39.7% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,005,264,000 after buying an additional 1,012,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 31,151.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $706,202,000 after acquiring an additional 2,311,721 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Baird R W lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $446,721.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,966,996.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,097 shares of company stock worth $10,256,818. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $5.09 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $297.70. 2,559,635 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,471,642. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90. The company has a market cap of $214.55 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $297.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $274.96.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 60.10%.

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.