Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Has $1.75 Million Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. raised its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 137.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,031 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 3,496 shares during the quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. Citigroup raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $297.45 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $296.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $296.71. The firm has a market cap of $212.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.