SL Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

SL Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,634 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 51 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 0.8% of SL Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. SL Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at $529,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 494.9% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 19,179 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,886,000 after acquiring an additional 15,955 shares in the last quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at $248,000. Private Management Group Inc. increased its position in McDonald’s by 280.3% during the 2nd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 3,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $767,000 after purchasing an additional 2,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,630,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Guggenheim lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Truist Financial decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $320.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.65.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD traded down $1.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $287.75. 1,079,646 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,523,559. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $206.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $294.40 and its 200 day moving average is $285.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.75 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of McDonald’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $321,325.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,036,366.30. This represents a 9.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,050 shares of company stock worth $3,556,688. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.