Horizon Investments LLC Has $4.29 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,792 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the quarter. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.01 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $217.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $297.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $297.02.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. 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 topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.39.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by 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.