Vista Investment Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Vista Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,579 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the first quarter worth $28,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $3.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $278.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,286,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,568,595. The stock has a market cap of $200.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $258.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $271.02.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its 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 negative return on equity of 178.92% and a net margin of 32.25%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 56.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total value of $371,893.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $387,285.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 14,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,842,800. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total transaction of $371,893.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,285.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,794 shares of company stock worth $1,234,491 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $290.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Citigroup reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.00.

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.