1,262 Shares in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Acquired by Meridian Investment Counsel Inc.

Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,262 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $366,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,725,190,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $703,074,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,054,387 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,175,326,000 after buying an additional 794,536 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 43,591.6% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 590,711 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $171,241,000 after buying an additional 589,359 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,169,342 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $20,341,391,000 after acquiring an additional 526,466 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,996 shares of company stock worth $8,897,534. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of MCD stock opened at $312.74 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $223.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $302.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $298.35. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.