Masso Torrence Wealth Management Inc. Takes $272,000 Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Masso Torrence Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 917 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $272,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MCD. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.72.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded up $1.39 on Tuesday, reaching $276.97. The stock had a trading volume of 2,163,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,229,679. The stock has a market cap of $199.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $282.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $281.24.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. On average, equities 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 declared 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 was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.74%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’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 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 the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.