Welch Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Welch Group LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 199,402 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 2,745 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 2.6% of Welch Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $57,747,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,916,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,833,510,000 after acquiring an additional 220,365 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,082,894 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,592,892,000 after acquiring an additional 128,800 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,694,403,000 after purchasing an additional 49,106 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,765,049 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $841,966,000 after purchasing an additional 19,867 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 2,311,721 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $453,882. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,406 shares of company stock worth $2,150,857. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $336.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird lowered McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $320.00 to $290.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.58.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $290.25 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $291.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.48, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90.

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.