Cedrus LLC Raises Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cedrus LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,343 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the quarter. Cedrus LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Hendershot Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. now owns 3,825 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,134,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Leeward Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Blossom Wealth Management lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Blossom Wealth Management now owns 1,538 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $456,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Mendel Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $204,000. Finally, Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $204,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $268.62 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $193.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.22, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $285.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $280.55. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.38 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MCD. UBS Group decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday. BTIG Research downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.00.

McDonald’s Profile

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.