Hickory Asset Management Inc. Invests $234,000 in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hickory Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 806 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,906 shares of company stock worth $5,406,382 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $308.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $221.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $291.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $292.20.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on MCD. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Company 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.