Advocate Group LLC Increases Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Advocate Group LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,626 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises approximately 1.7% of Advocate Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $8,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $72,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp cut their price target on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $336.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,905 shares of company stock worth $2,592,327 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $285.37 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The company has a market capitalization of $204.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $291.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $288.14.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.72 earnings per share for the current year.

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.