Leelyn Smith LLC Increases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Leelyn Smith LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,403 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises 1.1% of Leelyn Smith LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $703,074,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 542.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 801,858 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $244,174,000 after acquiring an additional 677,139 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 43,591.6% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 590,711 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $171,241,000 after acquiring an additional 589,359 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $121,254,000. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 518.1% during the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 348,119 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $100,916,000 after purchasing an additional 291,802 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.4 %

MCD opened at $304.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $217.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $297.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.02. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCD. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About McDonald’s

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.