Nikulski Financial Inc. Increases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Nikulski Financial Inc. boosted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 11,387 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 1.2% of Nikulski Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Nikulski Financial Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Independent Wealth Network Inc. raised its stake in McDonald’s by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 863 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd raised its stake in McDonald’s by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,737 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $985,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Unique Wealth LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patron Partners LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MCD. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.72.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock traded up $1.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $271.99. 3,017,097 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,163,395. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $283.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $280.90. The company has a market cap of $196.11 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.59 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

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.