Argent Advisors Inc. Buys New Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Argent Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,549 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,382,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 84.1% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $41,422,000 after acquiring an additional 64,757 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% in the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares in the last quarter. Welch Group LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 206,004 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $60,188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $43,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 58,515 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $17,096,000 after buying an additional 954 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,861,832.16. This trade represents a 34.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 45,142 shares of company stock valued at $13,841,169 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE MCD opened at $315.17 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $309.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $306.32. The stock has a market cap of $224.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. KeyCorp lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $328.88.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.