Private Trust Co. NA Buys 1,877 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 18,516 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,877 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 0.6% of Private Trust Co. NA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 31,151.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,311,721 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $348,206,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $110,321,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $121,254,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 8.0% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,216,677,000 after acquiring an additional 354,196 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.7 %

MCD traded up $4.94 on Monday, reaching $295.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,200,143 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,488,078. The company has a market capitalization of $211.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $299.85 and a 200-day moving average of $278.20.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 58.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on MCD. Barclays increased their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 18th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.46.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.57, for a total value of $328,128.43. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,428,777.88. The trade was a 8.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. This trade represents a 19.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,498 shares of company stock worth $10,381,296 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.