WFA Asset Management Corp Acquires 188 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WFA Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 21.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,083 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. WFA Asset Management Corp’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $305,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.0% in the third quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,660 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Shelton Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 4.9% in the third quarter. Shelton Capital Management now owns 9,099 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,397,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 34.9% in the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,152 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,099,000 after purchasing an additional 5,994 shares during the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $948,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 4.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,593,760 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,209,171,000 after purchasing an additional 199,657 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD stock traded up $1.98 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $249.77. 1,055,317 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,418,984. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $262.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $278.52. The stock has a market cap of $180.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 56.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MCD. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, June 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $288.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, March 25th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Ten investment 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 company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $313.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,842,800. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $285,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,842,800. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,095 shares of company stock worth $1,100,625. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Profile

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.