McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Bought by Aureus Asset Management LLC

Aureus Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,943 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 124 shares during the quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at $38,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at about $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $296.01 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $299.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $279.04. The company has a market capitalization of $212.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for 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 business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $320.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.64.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. The trade was a 48.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.57, for a total transaction of $328,128.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,428,777.88. This trade represents a 8.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,597 shares of company stock valued at $10,702,754. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.