Hilton Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hilton Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,653 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 927 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 1.0% of Hilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Hilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $12,988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.2% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,567,030,000 after acquiring an additional 188,888 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,542,550,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193,769 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in McDonald’s by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,216,677,000 after purchasing an additional 354,196 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 39.7% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,005,264,000 after buying an additional 1,012,534 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 31,151.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $706,202,000 after buying an additional 2,311,721 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $290.68 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90. The firm has a market cap of $208.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $300.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $277.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. This is an increase 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 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Baird R W cut shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This represents a 48.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total value of $316,992.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,583 shares in the company, valued at $3,632,712.10. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 35,596 shares of company stock worth $10,698,289. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.