Lafayette Investments Inc. Buys 116 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Lafayette Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,247 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Retirement Group LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

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

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $271.40. 763,048 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,214,859. The company has a market cap of $195.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $283.44 and a 200-day moving average of $280.62. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

About McDonald’s

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.