Kovack Advisors Inc. Buys 2,567 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 36.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,608 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,567 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MCD. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $304.02 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $293.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $294.72. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The company has a market capitalization of $217.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

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.