Shepherd Financial Partners LLC Boosts Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,943 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,567,030,000 after acquiring an additional 188,888 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in McDonald’s by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,542,550,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193,769 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in McDonald’s by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,216,677,000 after purchasing an additional 354,196 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in McDonald’s by 39.7% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,005,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 31,151.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $706,202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,311,721 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America upped their price target on McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $4.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $296.19. The stock had a trading volume of 1,020,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,516,358. The firm has a market cap of $212.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $298.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $275.58. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.99% and a net margin of 31.79%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.65%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $727,260.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $900,550. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares in the company, valued at $900,550. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,818 in the last ninety days. 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.