Boston Research & Management Inc. Acquires 592 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Boston Research & Management Inc. raised its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,939 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 592 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 1.6% of Boston Research & Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Boston Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $6,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MCD. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $288.00 to $278.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $306.11.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total value of $371,893.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,285.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total transaction of $371,893.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $387,285.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,557,060. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,193 shares of company stock worth $1,403,593 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $296.77 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $302.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $277.30 and a 200 day moving average of $270.88.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.67 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 56.71%.

McDonald’s Profile

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.