Empowered Funds LLC Has $18.87 Million Stake in McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in McDonald's by 8.6%, acquiring a total of 60,410 shares valued at approximately $18.87 million.
• Recent analyst ratings show conflicting views, with some firms lowering their ratings while others have increased their price targets, resulting in a current average rating of "Hold" with a consensus price target of $325.14.
• McDonald's recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.3%, with a payout ratio of 60.67%.

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,410 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 4,801 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $18,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its position in McDonald's by 0.9% during the first quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 3,630 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,134,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 3.5% during the first quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC now owns 988 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 1.9% during the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,793 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $560,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 2.5% during the first quarter. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $417,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Security Financial Services INC. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 0.7% during the first quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 5,043 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,575,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on McDonald's from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. TD Cowen upped their target price on McDonald's from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on McDonald's from $324.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and set a $335.00 target price (up from $325.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $325.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $315,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,160,270. This represents a 12.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,780,165.67. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,341 shares of company stock valued at $2,544,327. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of MCD traded up $2.38 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $308.32. The stock had a trading volume of 2,760,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,936,050. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.02 billion, a PE ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.50. The company's 50-day moving average is $305.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $306.61.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The fast-food giant reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.97 EPS. McDonald's's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

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 issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.67%.

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.