AIA Group Ltd Increases Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

AIA Group Ltd increased its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 61.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,583 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 10,895 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $8,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,773,010,000 after purchasing an additional 316,638 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,643,704,000 after purchasing an additional 196,505 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,676,339,000 after buying an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at about $1,412,069,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,587,915. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

McDonald’s Stock Down 3.2%

NYSE:MCD opened at $315.70 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $321.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $311.73. The stock has a market cap of $224.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $283.47 and a twelve month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.83 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.