Principle Wealth Partners LLC Raises Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Principle Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 67,963 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. McDonald’s accounts for about 1.7% of Principle Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Principle Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $20,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE MCD traded down $2.51 on Friday, hitting $273.09. 3,636,458 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,338,426. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $281.68 and a 200-day moving average of $281.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $245.73 and a 52 week high of $302.39. The stock has a market cap of $196.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCD. Wedbush lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.41.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.