J. Stern & Co. LLP Increases Stock Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,806 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 1,223 shares during the quarter. McDonald's comprises about 0.2% of J. Stern & Co. LLP's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. J. Stern & Co. LLP's holdings in McDonald's were worth $2,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Price Performance

MCD opened at $318.58 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $307.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.60. The stock has a market cap of $227.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald's Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32.

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

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors 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 2.22%. McDonald's's payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MCD. Barclays cut their target price on McDonald's from $350.00 to $347.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of McDonald's from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Nine 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.74.

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.

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