Kowal Investment Group LLC Decreases Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Kowal Investment Group LLC cut its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,579 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 349 shares during the quarter. Kowal Investment Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% in the third quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,833 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,049 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,060,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.69.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.1 %

McDonald’s stock opened at $312.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $315.36. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $292.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.19.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 60.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,221,233 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company 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.