Capital Square LLC Acquires 50 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Capital Square LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,430 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the quarter. Capital Square LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded up $5.22 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $295.50. 1,338,689 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,488,132. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $299.85 and its 200-day moving average is $278.20. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $211.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 175.42%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.40%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Guggenheim lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.57, for a total value of $328,128.43. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,484 shares in the company, valued at $3,428,777.88. This trade represents a 8.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at $14,966,996.55. This trade represents a 19.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,498 shares of company stock worth $10,381,296 in the last quarter. 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.