Empowered Funds LLC Has $16.59 Million Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Empowered Funds LLC lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,480 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,683 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $16,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,612,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $1,394,000. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 58.9% in the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 138,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $35,194,000 after purchasing an additional 51,210 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 49,186 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $14,978,000 after buying an additional 2,997 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. now owns 49,318 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $15,018,000 after buying an additional 7,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1 %

MCD stock opened at $298.79 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $299.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $277.14. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $214.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 58.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Robert W. Baird cut shares of McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $320.00 to $290.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $727,260.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,550. The trade was a 44.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. The trade was a 48.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 35,596 shares of company stock worth $10,698,289. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.