Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 1,129 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,609 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $16,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Guggenheim cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $336.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.86.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $294.39 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $290.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $290.64. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $210.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.85, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total value of $321,457.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,155. The trade was a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,406 shares of company stock valued at $2,150,857. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Profile

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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.