Hartford Funds Management Co LLC Purchases 118 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,823 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MCD. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.67.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.2 %

MCD stock traded down $0.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $273.07. 6,893,865 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,313,933. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $280.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $282.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.89 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $245.73 and a 1-year high of $302.39.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

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