McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Purchased by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 118,366 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $36,176,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1,616.7% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Painted Porch Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 735.7% in the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:MCD opened at $286.83 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $314.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.86. The firm has a market cap of $203.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.2 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $334.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Argus raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $340.93.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.