Kovack Advisors Inc. Grows Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 27.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,373 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,377 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,797,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Clear Investment Research LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD traded up $2.21 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $250.00. 2,026,070 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,639,543. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $262.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $278.52. The stock has a market cap of $180.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.63 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.19 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCD. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Wedbush cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 26th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $337.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $313.89.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,225.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total value of $371,893.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,285.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total transaction of $220,016.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,593 shares of company stock worth $1,472,518. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Profile

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.