Apollon Wealth Management LLC Grows Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,244 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $7,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 4.0% during the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,949 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,045,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in McDonald’s by 16.1% during the second quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 11,250 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,867,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564 shares during the last quarter. Nvest Financial LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $300,000. ADE LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 8.9% during the second quarter. ADE LLC now owns 823 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, MONECO Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 3,865 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $985,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 3.3 %

NYSE:MCD traded up $9.06 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $287.55. 5,267,064 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,579,280. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39. The company has a market capitalization of $207.23 billion, a PE ratio of 24.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $258.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $270.87.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.92% and a net margin of 32.25%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.13, for a total value of $291,377.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,209,734.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total transaction of $371,893.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,285.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.13, for a total value of $291,377.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,209,734.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,794 shares of company stock worth $1,234,491 over the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on MCD. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $288.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $357.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $303.71.

About McDonald’s

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.