McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Bought by Apexium Financial LP

Apexium Financial LP lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 43.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,685 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 815 shares during the quarter. Apexium Financial LP’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $31,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $72,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of McDonald’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,905 shares of company stock valued at $2,592,327 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Argus raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $320.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $336.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Guggenheim downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.78.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $285.37 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $204.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The business’s 50-day moving average is $291.07 and its 200-day moving average is $288.43.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.