Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Increases Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 13.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 412,764 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 50,090 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.06% of McDonald’s worth $119,656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MCD. United Bank lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 6,446 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,963,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 7.2% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,053 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Cynosure Group LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $216,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in McDonald’s by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 30,844 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,392,000 after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,074 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $306.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $219.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $301.52 and a 200 day moving average of $298.10.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,405 shares of company stock worth $9,886,656 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.