WoodTrust Financial Corp Grows Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WoodTrust Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,962 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $859,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.4 %

MCD opened at $305.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $218.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $294.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $295.83.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $962,432.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 9,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,892.08. This trade represents a 24.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on 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 issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

About McDonald’s

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.