TCW Group Inc. Takes Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

TCW Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 14,533 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $4,302,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,449,565 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $18,032,353,000 after purchasing an additional 262,147 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,200,473 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,423,773,000 after buying an additional 151,161 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,684,899,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,425,674 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,589,073,000 after acquiring an additional 35,639 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in McDonald’s by 4.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,593,760 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,209,171,000 after acquiring an additional 199,657 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.74.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $258.11. 3,382,879 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,431,503. The firm has a market capitalization of $186.02 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $272.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $283.27. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $245.73 and a 52 week high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.74% and a net margin of 33.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 56.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.02, for a total value of $220,016.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,225.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,096 shares of company stock worth $1,127,678. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.