McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) is Ghe LLC’s 9th Largest Position

Ghe LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,322 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 2.6% of Ghe LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Ghe LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $276.75. The company had a trading volume of 4,005,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,254,401. The company has a market capitalization of $199.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $245.73 and a 12-month high of $302.39. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $282.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $281.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.74%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.72.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.