Ninety One UK Ltd Invests $20.58 Million in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 69,409 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $20,580,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE MCD opened at $270.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $195.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.42, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $245.73 and a twelve month high of $302.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $280.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion during 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%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 57.74%.

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 stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. BTIG Research lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

McDonald’s Company 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.