Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,273,368 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 93,048 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.18% of McDonald’s worth $375,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 110.0% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $313.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $223.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.51, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $300.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $297.89.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price target 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.39.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $962,432.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,964,892.08. This trade represents a 24.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656. 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.