McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD) Holdings Raised by Mariner LLC

Mariner LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 740,287 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after buying an additional 55,688 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC owned about 0.10% of McDonald's worth $214,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,725,190,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $703,074,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in 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 worth $1,175,326,000 after purchasing an additional 794,536 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $171,241,000 after buying an additional 589,359 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald's news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the company'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 value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $3.00 during trading on Thursday, hitting $312.10. 1,338,765 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,712,005. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $307.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $299.25. McDonald's Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32.

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

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. KeyCorp increased their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Citigroup reduced their price target on McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.87.

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.