Copeland Capital Management LLC Invests $127,000 in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 416 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $127,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 32.3% during the first quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC now owns 176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of MCD opened at $314.65 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $226.76 billion, a PE ratio of 26.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $296.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $274.34.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.10%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was 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 trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $900,550. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,998 shares of company stock worth $9,935,493 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.52.

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.