Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. Grows Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,326 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 418 shares during the period. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,840,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Norris Perne & French LLP MI purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the first quarter worth approximately $268,000. Vicus Capital acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth $336,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 23,122 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,518,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 10,405 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,934,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foguth Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the first quarter valued at about $1,768,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD stock opened at $292.50 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s 50-day moving average is $297.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.88.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 60.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total value of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,632,712.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,097 shares of company stock worth $10,256,818 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Argus raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Baird R W lowered McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price target on McDonald’s from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.22.

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.