Cedrus LLC Boosts Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cedrus LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,343 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Cedrus LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% in the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $268.62 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $285.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $280.55. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $245.73 and a 52 week high of $302.39. The stock has a market cap of $193.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.59 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.