Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV Invests $1.61 Million in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,543 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,000. McDonald’s makes up approximately 1.4% of Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,882. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 28,996 shares of company stock worth $8,897,534 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $312.74 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $223.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $302.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $298.35.

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, meeting 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 predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

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.