McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stake Raised by Lazari Capital Management Inc.

Lazari Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 20.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,928 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Lazari Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MCD. Concentric Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Concentric Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,551 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the second quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% during the first quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,833 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% during the first quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,913 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $821,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Weatherly Asset Management L. P. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 4,378 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,234,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,966,996.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’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 transaction of $285,740.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,557,060. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,751 shares of company stock valued at $9,493,973 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 11th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $308.22.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $302.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $283.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.26. The company has a market cap of $218.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.72. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $306.96.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.71%.

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.