Candriam S.C.A. Buys 8,656 Shares of McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in McDonald's Corporation by 10.2%, amounting to 93,691 shares valued at approximately $29 million.
• Insiders have sold a total of 8,280 shares worth $2.5 million over the last ninety days, with notable sales from EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison and CMO Edith Morgan Flatley.
• Analysts have provided optimistic ratings for McDonald's, with upgrades from firms like Goldman Sachs and Barclays, setting target prices between $305 and $360.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 10.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,691 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 8,656 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $29,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in McDonald's in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in McDonald's in the first quarter valued at $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Melius started coverage on shares of McDonald's in a report on Monday, July 14th. They set a "sell" rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research cut shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $326.38.

McDonald's Stock Up 0.2%

McDonald's stock traded up $0.5810 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $313.8010. 2,796,690 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,530,048. McDonald's Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.52. The business's 50-day moving average price is $299.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $305.84.

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

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald's's payout ratio is 60.67%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $300,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 8,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,657,400. The trade was a 10.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,487 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $770,970.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,713,740. This represents a 22.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,341 shares of company stock valued at $2,229,327 in the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.