Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. Raises Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 34.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,862 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 3,071 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America upped their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of MCD opened at $307.01 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $299.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $297.78.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.