McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Bought by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 384.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 194,888 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 154,642 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises approximately 1.2% of Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $57,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,449,565 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $18,032,353,000 after acquiring an additional 262,147 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,200,473 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,423,773,000 after acquiring an additional 151,161 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,390,035 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,401,570,000 after buying an additional 237,532 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,593,760 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,209,171,000 after purchasing an additional 199,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,911,764 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,159,877,000 after purchasing an additional 26,147 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $337.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.74.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded down $1.15 during trading on Thursday, reaching $273.28. The company had a trading volume of 3,084,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,329,244. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $245.73 and a 52 week high of $302.39. The stock has a market cap of $197.04 billion, a PE ratio of 23.26, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $280.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $282.27.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.54% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.71%.

About McDonald’s

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.