Everence Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Everence Capital Management Inc. increased its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 17.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,237 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 2,680 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,407,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Retirement Group LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded down $0.80 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $265.43. The stock had a trading volume of 2,792,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,230,329. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $245.73 and a 12-month high of $302.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $284.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.59 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.35 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 5th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America increased their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.72.

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.