McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Acquired by Guardian Asset Advisors LLC

Guardian Asset Advisors LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,978 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 912 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 1.0% of Guardian Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $6,612,000. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 58.9% during the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 138,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $35,194,000 after purchasing an additional 51,210 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 411.4% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 7,497 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,223,000 after buying an additional 6,031 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter valued at $7,898,000. Finally, First Long Island Investors LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. First Long Island Investors LLC now owns 54,021 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $15,231,000 after buying an additional 7,707 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock traded up $0.65 on Thursday, hitting $304.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 233,774 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,377,035. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $288.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $272.20. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $306.96. The company has a market capitalization of $219.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 9,291 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $2,833,755.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 43,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,193,080. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 9,291 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $2,833,755.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,256 shares in the company, valued at $13,193,080. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,751 shares of company stock worth $9,493,973. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $280.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $310.50.

McDonald’s Company 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.