Harvest Investment Services LLC Buys New Stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Harvest Investment Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,575 shares of the fast-food giant's stock, valued at approximately $457,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald's by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Stock Performance

McDonald's stock traded down $2.35 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $316.13. The stock had a trading volume of 2,478,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,581,171. McDonald's Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $225.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $307.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $299.70.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share 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 paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America increased their price target on McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on McDonald's from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.74.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total transaction of $3,228,797.89. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,918.26. The trade was a 69.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247. 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.