Stolper Co Boosts Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Stolper Co grew its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,780 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Stolper Co’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded up $4.27 on Thursday, reaching $255.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,000,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,323,546. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $264.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.67. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $183.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 180.74%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 56.71%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,096 shares of company stock worth $1,127,678 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $315.14.

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.