Apeiron RIA LLC Boosts Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Apeiron RIA LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 29.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,334 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Fred Alger Management LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 17,555 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,474,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. AXA S.A. grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.8% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 180,537 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $46,008,000 after acquiring an additional 3,202 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 8.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 354,196 shares during the last quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,774,000. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2,268.8% in the 2nd quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC now owns 51,284 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $13,069,000 after purchasing an additional 49,119 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $284.49 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $291.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $287.90. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The company has a market capitalization of $203.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Baird R W cut McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total transaction of $441,470.49. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $459,435.60. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,605 shares of company stock valued at $2,508,102. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.