Gradient Investments LLC Buys 51,871 Shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 102.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 102,727 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 51,871 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $28,964,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA grew its stake in McDonald's by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 155,740 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $46,179,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the period. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $21,191,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services boosted its stake in McDonald's by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $3,269,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald's by 7.9% in the third quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald's Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded down $2.96 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $270.32. The company had a trading volume of 2,642,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,812,742. McDonald's Co. has a one year low of $245.73 and a one year high of $302.39. The company's 50-day moving average price is $279.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $282.35. The firm has a market cap of $194.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 180.54%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that McDonald's Co. will post 12.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MCD. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on McDonald's from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $337.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 12th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on McDonald's from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $317.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.

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