Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Invests $60,000 in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 204 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $60,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,191,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Mengis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 7.9% during the third quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 7.7% during the third quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,227 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, March 25th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.72.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $271.99 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The firm has a market cap of $196.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s fifty day moving average is $283.10 and its 200-day moving average is $280.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

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.