Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Has $46.40 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 160,075 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 1,398 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $46,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $2,725,190,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $703,074,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $350,935,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in McDonald's by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,054,387 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,175,326,000 after buying an additional 794,536 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $286,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,978 shares in the company, valued at $4,263,290. The trade was a 6.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 28,136 shares of company stock worth $8,676,247 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Performance

McDonald's stock traded down $1.71 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $311.97. 4,136,860 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,558,839. McDonald's Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The business's 50-day moving average is $310.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57.

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. The firm had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.17 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Wedbush upped their target price on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on McDonald's from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on McDonald's from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $345.00 price target (up previously from $340.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald's presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $325.91.

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.