Close Asset Management Ltd Grows Stock Position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Close Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 7.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,404 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 6,610 shares during the period. McDonald's accounts for 0.8% of Close Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Close Asset Management Ltd's holdings in McDonald's were worth $28,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,074,438 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $4,652,768,000 after acquiring an additional 157,458 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings 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 worth $3,088,037,000 after acquiring an additional 531,070 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,725,190,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 11.2% during 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 acquiring an additional 895,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,019,019 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,454,963,000 after acquiring an additional 504,085 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of MCD traded up $3.77 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $298.25. 3,400,107 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,682,701. McDonald's Corporation has a 52 week low of $250.23 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The company's 50 day moving average is $301.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $302.91. The company has a market capitalization of $213.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.32, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.53.

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

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on McDonald's from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $260.00 price objective (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. KeyCorp cut their target price on McDonald's from $340.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Citigroup boosted their target price on McDonald's from $364.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, TD Securities reissued a "hold" rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $322.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 8,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,657,400. This represents a 10.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 stock was 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 $2,780,165.67. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,817 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,992 over the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald's Profile

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.