McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Position Raised by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,808 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises 0.9% of Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $72,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $281.40 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $293.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $286.83. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The company has a market capitalization of $201.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $321,325.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,385 shares in the company, valued at $3,036,366.30. The trade was a 9.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,704 shares of company stock valued at $2,829,428 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Baird R W lowered McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $321.39.

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.