National Bank of Canada FI Acquires 39,220 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 738,512 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,220 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned approximately 0.10% of McDonald’s worth $214,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Roundview Capital LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 32,776 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $9,501,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 54,550 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $16,859,000 after acquiring an additional 1,232 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $366,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,054,387 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,175,326,000 after acquiring an additional 794,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family Legacy Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 5,301 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,521,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp upped their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $453,882. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,996 shares of company stock worth $8,897,534. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.8 %

MCD opened at $312.74 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $302.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $298.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $223.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.