Hughes Financial Services LLC Takes Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,158 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $336,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.7 %

McDonald’s stock opened at $297.45 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $296.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $296.71. The company has a market cap of $212.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $1.77 per share. 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 2.38%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

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.