Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Has $35.91 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. decreased its holdings in McDonald's by 6.3% during the 1st quarter, resulting in 114,945 shares valued at approximately $35.91 million.
• Analysts have raised their target prices for McDonald's stock, with Barclays setting a new target of $360.00 after rating it "overweight."
• McDonald's announced a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share, representing a dividend yield of 2.3%, with the payout ratio currently at 60.67%.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. decreased its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 114,945 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 7,745 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $35,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its position in McDonald's by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 16,877 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $5,272,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,839 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $7,446,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Leslie Global Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald's by 11.8% in the first quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 824 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Strategies Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's in the first quarter valued at approximately $376,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MCD. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on McDonald's from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up previously from $345.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $345.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Friday, August 8th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $326.38.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of McDonald's stock opened at $313.8010 on Monday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $299.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $305.92. The company has a market capitalization of $223.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.89, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32.

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

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald's news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 976 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.50, for a total transaction of $296,216.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 7,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,392,187. This trade represents a 11.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 1,000 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 99 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,690. The trade was a 90.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,341 shares of company stock valued at $2,229,327 in the last quarter. 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.

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