McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Bought by Atticus Wealth Management LLC

Atticus Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,424 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Clear Investment Research LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total value of $220,016.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares in the company, valued at $5,225.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total value of $220,016.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares in the company, valued at $5,225.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.13, for a total value of $291,377.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,878 shares in the company, valued at $4,209,734.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,095 shares of company stock worth $1,100,625. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD traded down $3.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $254.84. 8,958,712 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,556,529. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $279.19. The firm has a market cap of $183.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 56.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Guggenheim reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $315.14.

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.