Advisory Alpha LLC Purchases 388 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Advisory Alpha LLC grew its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,147 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $72,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $282.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $202.69 billion, a PE ratio of 24.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $292.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.72.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total value of $441,470.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $459,435.60. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,605 shares of company stock worth $2,508,102 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup raised McDonald’s from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $311.00 to $334.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $336.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $321.22.

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.