HTLF Bank Takes Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

HTLF Bank acquired a new stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 10,215 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $3,029,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Ltd increased its position in McDonald’s by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,737 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $985,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Patron Partners LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $271.31. 819,239 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,215,855. The stock has a market cap of $195.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $245.73 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $280.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Citigroup lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

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.