Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG Purchases 27,774 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 209,464 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,774 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up 1.3% of Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $60,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.8% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% during the third quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. McAdam LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the third quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 2,176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $663,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, LCM Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.3% during the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 2,887 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $879,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE MCD opened at $308.59 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $221.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average of $291.78 and a 200-day moving average of $292.20. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90.

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 net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,906 shares of company stock valued at $5,406,382 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.