Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Acquires 19,044 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 200,059 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,044 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $59,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE:MCD traded down $6.64 on Thursday, reaching $259.13. 2,719,030 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,268,201. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $273.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $283.52. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The company has a market capitalization of $186.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.23, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,225.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,225.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was 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 owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,997 shares of company stock worth $836,300. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $317.74.

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.