KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires New Shares in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 267,056 shares of the fast-food giant's stock, valued at approximately $77,417,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $6.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $313.39. 2,623,868 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,334,388. McDonald's Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $223.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $300.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $297.89.

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

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McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Citigroup increased their price objective on McDonald's from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 price objective 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald's presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.39.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In related news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.