United Community Bank Acquires 325 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

United Community Bank raised its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,801 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for approximately 0.9% of United Community Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. United Community Bank’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $321.52 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $323.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $295.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $296.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.71 billion, a PE ratio of 28.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

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.