Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $71.52 Million Stake in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. has increased its stake in McDonald's Corporation by 10.6%, now owning 228,952 shares worth approximately $71.52 million.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed views on McDonald's stock, with ratings including two sell, thirteen hold, and thirteen buy, reflecting cautious optimism among investors.
• McDonald's announced a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share, to be paid on September 16th, representing an annualized yield of 2.3%.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 228,952 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 21,942 shares during the quarter. McDonald's accounts for 1.0% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $71,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Koa Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the 1st quarter valued at $205,000. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 1st quarter valued at $424,000. Lcnb Corp increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 5,112 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,597,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 2,483.8% during the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 68,263 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $21,323,000 after purchasing an additional 65,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 1st quarter valued at $653,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald's from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $350.00 price target (up previously from $345.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Thursday. Argus downgraded McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $326.87.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,487 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $770,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,713,740. The trade was a 22.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.49, for a total value of $281,221.11. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,780,165.67. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,280 shares of company stock worth $2,215,178 over the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of McDonald's stock opened at $305.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald's Corporation has a one year low of $265.33 and a one year high of $326.32. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $298.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.33.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The fast-food giant reported $3.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.04. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 225.52% and a net margin of 32.21%. The firm had revenue of $6.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.97 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. 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 payout ratio is currently 60.67%.

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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