Fernwood Investment Management LLC Raises Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Fernwood Investment Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,342 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 176 shares during the quarter. Fernwood Investment Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCD. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 10,702.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,174,426 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $644,739,000 after purchasing an additional 2,154,297 shares during the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $192,165,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in McDonald’s by 174.7% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 947,653 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $249,693,000 after purchasing an additional 602,707 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 16.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,997,877 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $789,762,000 after purchasing an additional 429,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 39.6% in the third quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,329 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $344,139,000 after purchasing an additional 370,699 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE MCD traded up $0.48 during trading on Monday, hitting $273.57. 3,184,201 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,269,845. The company has a market capitalization of $197.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $281.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $281.96. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $245.73 and a 12-month high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Wedbush decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.41.

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.