Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,169,342 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 526,466 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.79% of McDonald's worth $20,341,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth $703,074,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 542.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 801,858 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $244,174,000 after buying an additional 677,139 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 43,591.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 590,711 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $171,241,000 after buying an additional 589,359 shares in the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 518.1% during the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 348,119 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $100,916,000 after buying an additional 291,802 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $77,417,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of MCD traded up $1.34 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $307.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,656,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,336,565. McDonald's Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $297.65.

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McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given 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 2.31%. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on McDonald's from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital reissued a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wedbush upped their price target on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.39.

About McDonald's

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.