McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stake Boosted by GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC.

GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1,168.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 168,419 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 155,138 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises 3.3% of GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $49,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.1 %

MCD opened at $270.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $279.53 and a 200 day moving average of $282.35. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The firm has a market cap of $194.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.54% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. BTIG Research cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $317.74.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.