King Luther Capital Management Corp Decreases Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

King Luther Capital Management Corp reduced its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,547 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,184 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $8,275,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Down 3.3 %

NYSE MCD opened at $306.65 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average of $296.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $296.68.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

About McDonald’s

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.