Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Sells 561 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC reduced its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,136 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 561 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up about 2.5% of Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $17,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MCD. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Retirement Group LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded up $0.97 during trading on Friday, hitting $271.95. 1,402,661 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,224,095. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $245.73 and a twelve month high of $302.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $280.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, March 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.72.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.