Sfmg LLC Lowers Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Sfmg LLC cut its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,778 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 81 shares during the quarter. Sfmg LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 110.0% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total value of $3,228,797.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,918.26. This trade represents a 69.43 % 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 worth $10,206,575 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.39.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $305.07 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $298.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $297.38. The company has a market capitalization of $217.96 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio 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.