Baron Wealth Management LLC Purchases 123 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,690 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,394,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,694,403,000 after acquiring an additional 49,106 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 49,186 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $14,978,000 after acquiring an additional 2,997 shares during the period. PFW Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,471,000. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $16,870,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $290.41 on Thursday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The firm has a market cap of $208.11 billion, a PE ratio of 25.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $291.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $289.23.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total transaction of $321,457.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,286 shares in the company, valued at $2,716,155. The trade was a 10.58 % 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 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total transaction of $441,470.49. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $459,435.60. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,905 shares of company stock valued at $2,592,327. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut shares of McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $320.00 to $290.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.87.

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.