Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Boosts Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 327,712 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 34,968 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $97,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 51.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Nine equities 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, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.72.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of MCD traded down $0.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $265.37. 2,840,607 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,243,292. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $284.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $280.75. The company has a market cap of $191.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.59 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.74%.

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.