Farmers Trust Co. Has $11.58 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Farmers Trust Co. grew its holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 36.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,063 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after buying an additional 9,983 shares during the period. McDonald's accounts for about 2.2% of Farmers Trust Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Farmers Trust Co.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $11,577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,725,190,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $703,074,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $350,935,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings 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 valued at $2,570,511,000 after acquiring an additional 895,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald's by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,054,387 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,175,326,000 after acquiring an additional 794,536 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Stock Up 0.6%

MCD traded up $1.82 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $313.68. 4,056,929 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,515,946. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. McDonald's Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $312.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $302.00.

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

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on McDonald's from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $325.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.07, for a total transaction of $295,850.73. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,516,496.27. The trade was a 7.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald's Company 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.