Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 175,861 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,842 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $50,981,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. This trade represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of MCD opened at $321.52 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $295.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $296.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $323.17.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s 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.