Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. Acquires 1,533 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 150.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,554 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares during the period. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.8% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% during the third quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Boltwood Capital Management grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.3% during the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 2,887 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $879,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays raised their price objective 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. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $304.02 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $217.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a fifty day moving average of $293.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $294.72. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,504 shares of company stock worth $9,897,305 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s 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.