McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Birinyi Associates Inc.

Birinyi Associates Inc. cut its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,079 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for 0.5% of Birinyi Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Birinyi Associates Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MCD opened at $310.84 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $293.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.65. The firm has a market cap of $222.75 billion, a PE ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, 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 transaction of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,504 shares of company stock worth $9,897,305 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.