Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Boosts Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 325,499 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $94,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial cut their target price on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.87.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE MCD opened at $304.01 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $217.20 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $305.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $298.93.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock worth $8,461,400 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.