Southeast Asset Advisors LLC Buys 1,007 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Southeast Asset Advisors LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 16.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,995 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,007 shares during the quarter. Southeast Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,044,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First American Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 55.9% in the first quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 36,917 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $11,532,000 after acquiring an additional 13,234 shares during the period. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its position in McDonald’s by 58.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 248,826 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $71,829,000 after purchasing an additional 91,313 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 35.2% during the 1st quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 206,004 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $60,188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth approximately $8,444,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on MCD shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $324.57.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $217.20 billion, a PE ratio of 26.13, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $303.02 and a 200 day moving average of $304.11. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.21% and a negative return on equity of 225.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $315,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,160,270. This trade represents a 12.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 34,463 shares of company stock valued at $10,549,351 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.25% 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.