Hanlon Investment Management Inc. Makes New Investment in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hanlon Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 698 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 31,151.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $706,202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,311,721 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 66.9% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,542,550,000 after buying an additional 2,193,769 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the first quarter valued at approximately $348,206,000. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 39.7% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,005,264,000 after buying an additional 1,012,534 shares during the period. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $110,321,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total transaction of $441,470.49. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $459,435.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,596 shares of company stock valued at $10,698,289 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $297.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $298.60 and a 200-day moving average of $276.23. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The company has a market cap of $213.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 178.99%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.46.

McDonald’s Company 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.