McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock Holdings Boosted by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 156,219 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,026 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $46,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,449,565 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $18,032,353,000 after acquiring an additional 262,147 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 106,340.3% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,235,890 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,069,234,000 after acquiring an additional 19,217,818 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,200,473 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,423,773,000 after acquiring an additional 151,161 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $2,341,360,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,390,035 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,401,570,000 after acquiring an additional 237,532 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE MCD traded up $4.52 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $269.95. 3,244,022 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,246,766. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $284.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $280.76. The company has a market capitalization of $194.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.74%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.