Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Grows Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 325,499 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in McDonald's were worth $94,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of MCD traded up $4.82 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $314.72. 1,376,720 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,578,668. McDonald's Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $306.10 and a 200-day moving average of $299.00. The stock has a market cap of $224.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.63, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Loop Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of McDonald's from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald's has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.87.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. This represents a 69.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald'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 of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400 over the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.