McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Bought by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,808 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. McDonald’s accounts for approximately 0.9% of Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Baird R W lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Argus raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.39.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $281.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.71, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $293.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $286.83. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. Analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.75 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $321,325.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,385 shares in the company, valued at $3,036,366.30. This represents a 9.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total value of $441,470.49. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $459,435.60. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,704 shares of company stock valued at $2,829,428 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.