Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Boosts Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,807 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 284 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $15,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $273.57. The company had a trading volume of 3,184,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,269,845. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $245.73 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39. The company’s fifty day moving average is $281.31 and its 200 day moving average is $282.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.45 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.41.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.