Leelyn Smith LLC Has $6.15 Million Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Leelyn Smith LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,191 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 454 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up about 1.1% of Leelyn Smith LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $6,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 22.5% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 2,083 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $587,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 40.0% in the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 1,050 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 43.4% during the first quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,075 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 931 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.5% in the first quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 50,823 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $14,329,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $290.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $208.03 billion, a PE ratio of 25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $299.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.06.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Baird R W downgraded McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.46.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares in the company, valued at $900,550. This trade represents a 44.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $446,721.60. This represents a 48.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,498 shares of company stock valued at $10,381,296 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.