McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Purchased by National Pension Service

National Pension Service increased its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,260,774 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,048 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $373,832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MCD shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.74.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD traded down $0.90 during trading on Thursday, reaching $267.59. 1,374,643 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,286,996. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $278.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $282.90. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $245.73 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39. The stock has a market cap of $192.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly 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). McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 180.54%. The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other 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 value of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.