RiverFront Investment Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

RiverFront Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,702 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,073,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $306.95 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $301.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $298.10. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $219.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, 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 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. KeyCorp raised their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

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.