Hartford Funds Management Co LLC Has $664,000 Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,290 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $664,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $310.54 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $295.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $296.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value 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 approximately $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 90 days, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company 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.