McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Bought by Flossbach Von Storch AG

Flossbach Von Storch AG boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 52.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 191,951 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 66,190 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch AG’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $56,915,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $33,000. Retirement Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock traded up $4.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $269.95. 3,244,022 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,246,766. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $245.73 and a 1-year high of $302.39. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $280.69. The company has a market cap of $194.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.35 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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 $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.72.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% 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.