Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Acquires New Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,489 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,924,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 155,740 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $46,179,000 after acquiring an additional 2,546 shares during the last quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $21,191,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,269,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Wedbush reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 5th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.41.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded up $0.96 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $274.51. The stock had a trading volume of 2,504,127 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,258,586. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $281.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $282.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $245.73 and a 1-year high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.74%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.