Finward Bancorp Buys New Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Finward Bancorp bought a new position in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,720 shares of the fast-food giant's stock, valued at approximately $1,368,000. McDonald's makes up about 1.2% of Finward Bancorp's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth about $2,725,190,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at $703,074,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of McDonald's by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,054,387 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,175,326,000 after purchasing an additional 794,536 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its holdings in McDonald's by 1,547.1% during the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 641,950 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $179,715,000 after purchasing an additional 602,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in McDonald's by 43,591.6% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 590,711 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $171,241,000 after purchasing an additional 589,359 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald's Price Performance

MCD stock traded up $1.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $310.82. 2,726,918 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,584,906. The business's 50 day moving average price is $307.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $299.35. McDonald's Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays boosted their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.