QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 508 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,500 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $14,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. LCM Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 2,887 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $309.88 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $222.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $293.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $294.82.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $453,882. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,504 shares of company stock worth $9,897,305. Company 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.