Gratus Capital LLC Grows Stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Gratus Capital LLC raised its holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,565 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 7,855 shares during the period. McDonald's accounts for approximately 1.0% of Gratus Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Gratus Capital LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $17,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summitry LLC grew its holdings in McDonald's by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 17,106 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $5,072,000 after buying an additional 853 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 41,657 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $12,352,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of McDonald's by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 909,954 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $269,810,000 after buying an additional 4,934 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas increased its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 24,433.3% during the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,472 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 1,466 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald's by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 25,545 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $7,574,000 after buying an additional 2,350 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on MCD. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on McDonald's from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Argus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Bank of America raised their target price on McDonald's from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on McDonald's from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $317.74.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total value of $220,016.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,997 shares of company stock valued at $836,300. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald's Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE MCD traded down $3.64 on Monday, reaching $271.36. The stock had a trading volume of 3,839,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,329,513. McDonald's Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $277.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $283.19. The company has a market capitalization of $195.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that McDonald's Co. will post 12.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.