Delta Financial Group Inc. Makes New $760,000 Investment in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Delta Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,621 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $760,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $304.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $292.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $293.92. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 22,205 shares of company stock valued at $6,703,569. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America upped their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Company 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.