OV Management LLC Acquires 531 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

OV Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,811 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 531 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises 0.9% of OV Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. OV Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. United Bank boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3.5% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 6,446 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,963,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $687,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. Aureus Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 13,943 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,246,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atom Investors LP bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $938,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $312.74 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $302.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $298.35. The company has a market cap of $223.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 28,996 shares of company stock valued at $8,897,534 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s 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.