First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown Decreases Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,247 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 145 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 0.8% of First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,928,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Retirement Group LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.0 %

McDonald’s stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $271.03. 1,042,902 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,218,656. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $283.44 and its 200-day moving average is $280.62. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The stock has a market cap of $195.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on MCD. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 5th. Barclays cut their price target on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Citigroup cut their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.72.

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.