McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Holdings Increased by Caprock Group LLC

Caprock Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 13.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,605 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,760 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3.2% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,567,030,000 after buying an additional 188,888 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in McDonald’s by 66.9% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,542,550,000 after buying an additional 2,193,769 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 8.0% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,216,677,000 after buying an additional 354,196 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 39.7% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,005,264,000 after acquiring an additional 1,012,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 31,151.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $706,202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,311,721 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MCD opened at $291.10 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $300.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $277.60. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 58.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MCD. Robert W. Baird cut McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $320.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,583 shares in the company, valued at $3,632,712.10. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total transaction of $441,470.49. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $459,435.60. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,596 shares of company stock valued at $10,698,289 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.