Whittier Trust Co. Boosts Stock Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,275 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after buying an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $21,241,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC grew its position in McDonald's by 110.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded up $0.41 during trading on Monday, reaching $305.85. The company had a trading volume of 3,443,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,337,257. McDonald's Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average of $299.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.65.

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

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction 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 represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of McDonald'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 in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,405 shares of company stock worth $9,886,656. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on McDonald's from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.39.

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.