McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Purchased by Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,923 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,606 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 31,151.1% in 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 grew its position in McDonald’s by 66.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at about $348,206,000. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 39.7% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,005,264,000 after buying an additional 1,012,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $110,321,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $295.24 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $298.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $275.78. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.99% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Baird R W downgraded McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Guggenheim lowered 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 report on Wednesday, October 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at $14,966,996.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 9,291 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $2,833,755.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,193,080. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,818. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.