Clarkston Capital Partners LLC Reduces Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Clarkston Capital Partners LLC reduced its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 412 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% in 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.

McDonald’s Trading Down 5.8 %

MCD opened at $299.68 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $304.34 and its 200 day moving average is $298.75. The company has a market cap of $214.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting 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, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCD. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.30.

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.