Apella Capital LLC Trims Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Apella Capital LLC lessened its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,843 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 597 shares during the quarter. Apella Capital LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,694,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,916,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,833,510,000 after purchasing an additional 220,365 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,082,894 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,592,892,000 after purchasing an additional 128,800 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,567,030,000 after purchasing an additional 188,888 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% in 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 buying an additional 49,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in 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 valued at $1,216,677,000 after buying an additional 354,196 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $281.40 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $293.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $286.83. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $453,882. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,704 shares of company stock worth $2,829,428 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $321.39.

McDonald’s Company 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.