Carret Asset Management LLC Has $3.64 Million Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Carret Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,539 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of MCD stock opened at $297.45 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $296.86 and a 200-day moving average of $296.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $212.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a PEG 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $453,882. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Profile

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.