UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $1.37 Billion Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lessened its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,514,934 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 116,985 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.63% of McDonald’s worth $1,374,843,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 value of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This represents a 48.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $900,550. The trade was a 44.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,597 shares of company stock worth $10,702,754 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $295.02 on Thursday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The firm has a market cap of $211.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.90, a PEG ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s fifty day moving average is $299.96 and its 200 day moving average is $278.67.

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

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Thirteen equities research 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.46.

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.