Madison Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 35,220 shares of the fast-food giant's stock, valued at approximately $10,210,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $703,074,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its position in McDonald's by 542.9% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 801,858 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $244,174,000 after purchasing an additional 677,139 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in McDonald's by 43,591.6% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its stake in McDonald's by 518.1% during the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 348,119 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $100,916,000 after purchasing an additional 291,802 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its position in McDonald's by 3,580.1% during the third quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 268,650 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $81,807,000 after purchasing an additional 261,350 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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McDonald's Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $1.34 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $307.01. 2,657,031 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,337,975. The company has a market cap of $219.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $299.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $297.78. McDonald's Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. Loop Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. KeyCorp raised their price objective on McDonald's from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "overweight" 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 report on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.39.

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.