Alberta Investment Management Corp Raises Stock Position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its stake in McDonald's by 132.7%, acquiring an additional 47,700 shares for a total of 83,640 shares, valued at approximately $26.1 million.
• Several large investors have also recently initiated positions in McDonald's, with hedge funds and institutional investors now owning 70.29% of the stock.
• McDonald's declared a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share, reflecting an annualized amount of $7.08 and a yield of 2.4%.

Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its stake in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 132.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,640 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after buying an additional 47,700 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp's holdings in McDonald's were worth $26,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 39,039.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,497,919 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,092,645,000 after purchasing an additional 3,488,982 shares in the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at about $350,935,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $2,570,511,000 after purchasing an additional 895,896 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at about $211,824,000. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 1,547.1% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 641,950 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $179,715,000 after purchasing an additional 602,976 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of MCD traded up $2.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $302.88. 3,324,992 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,321,008. McDonald's Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $265.33 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.52. The business's 50 day moving average is $299.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $303.66.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.67. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.75% and a negative return on equity of 195.27%. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 62.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays boosted their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Redburn Atlantic restated a "sell" rating and set a $260.00 target price (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $324.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $340.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $345.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald's has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $323.39.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,657,400. This trade represents a 10.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.49, for a total transaction of $281,221.11. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,780,165.67. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,817 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,992 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

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.