Francis Financial Inc. Has $317,000 Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Francis Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,068 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Francis Financial Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $317,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 863 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,737 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $985,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, STAR Financial Bank increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. STAR Financial Bank now owns 3,767 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MCD. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. HSBC began coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.60.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $281.95 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $290.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $280.93. The company has a market capitalization of $203.58 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.72.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

About McDonald’s

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.