McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Fortem Financial Group LLC

Fortem Financial Group LLC cut its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 52.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,911 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,072 shares during the quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 31,151.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,319,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $706,202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,311,721 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 542.9% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 801,858 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $244,174,000 after buying an additional 677,139 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at $110,321,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $121,254,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,216,677,000 after acquiring an additional 354,196 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $300.76 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $299.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $280.30. The company has a market cap of $215.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $6.87 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MCD. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.64.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $14,966,996.55. The trade was a 19.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 5,939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $1,781,937.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,121,716.12. This trade represents a 22.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,099 shares of company stock valued at $10,273,786 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.