Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Increases Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 19.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,570 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,243 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $321.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $229.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $323.17. The company’s fifty day moving average is $295.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $296.25.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.