Howard Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,903 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,106 shares of company stock worth $6,382,112 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $304.76 on Monday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90. The company has a market capitalization of $218.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $292.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $294.10.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.