Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV Makes New Investment in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 5,543 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,607,000. McDonald’s comprises approximately 1.4% of Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boltwood Capital Management increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 5,401 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,566,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 736 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Barn Wealth LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Barn Wealth LLC now owns 871 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 28,996 shares of company stock valued at $8,897,534. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE MCD opened at $312.74 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $223.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.46, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s 50 day moving average is $302.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.35.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus 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.