Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Increases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 118,555 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $34,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $306.95 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $301.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.10. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The company has a market capitalization of $219.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Company 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.