AmeriServ Wealth Advisors Makes New $394,000 Investment in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

AmeriServ Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,359 shares of the fast-food giant's stock, valued at approximately $394,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,169,342 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $20,341,391,000 after purchasing an additional 526,466 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,074,438 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $4,652,768,000 after acquiring an additional 157,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of McDonald's by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,652,445 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $3,088,037,000 after acquiring an additional 531,070 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,725,190,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in McDonald's by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,867,193 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $2,570,511,000 after buying an additional 895,896 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald's stock opened at $311.78 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $309.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $300.08. The company has a market cap of $222.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.37, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald's Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $325.26.

About McDonald's

McDonald's Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.

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