CWS Financial Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

CWS Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,731 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises about 0.8% of CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Isthmus Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.2% during the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 52,609 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $16,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in McDonald’s by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,183,000 after buying an additional 3,074 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 216,156 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $65,822,000 after buying an additional 6,647 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in McDonald’s by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 30,844 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,392,000 after buying an additional 3,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.3% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 342,547 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $104,309,000 after acquiring an additional 7,654 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’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 directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. The trade was a 48.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 5,939 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total value of $1,781,937.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 20,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,121,716.12. The trade was a 22.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,597 shares of company stock valued at $10,702,754 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on MCD. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.46.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $295.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $211.46 billion, a PE ratio of 25.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s fifty day moving average is $299.98 and its 200-day moving average is $278.78. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.40%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 58.65%.

About McDonald’s

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.