Hudson Value Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hudson Value Partners LLC raised its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 14,954 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for approximately 1.6% of Hudson Value Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Hudson Value Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vega Investment Solutions purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $770,000. Breakthru Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $355,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 10,227 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,962,000 after buying an additional 696 shares during the period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $304,000. Finally, Breed s Hill Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $222,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.76 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $218.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $292.61 and its 200 day moving average is $293.92. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total transaction of $334,755.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $475,176. The trade was a 41.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,205 shares of company stock worth $6,703,569. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Company 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, Spain, and the U.K.