AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Acquires 96,324 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

by · The Cerbat Gem

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD – Free Report) by 14.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 762,139 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,324 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for 1.2% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned approximately 0.11% of McDonald’s worth $232,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 31,151.1% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $706,202,000 after acquiring an additional 2,311,721 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,542,550,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193,769 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth approximately $348,206,000. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 39.7% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,005,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012,534 shares during the period. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $110,321,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD traded up $0.93 on Thursday, hitting $292.45. 867,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,511,475. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $298.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $275.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.79 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.74.

Check Out Our Latest Report on McDonald’s

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were 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 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,966,996.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $446,721.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,097 shares of company stock worth $10,256,818 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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