Weatherly Asset Management L. P. Lowers Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. reduced its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 43 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 10,702.5% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,174,426 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $644,739,000 after acquiring an additional 2,154,297 shares during the period. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $192,165,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in McDonald’s by 174.7% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 947,653 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $249,693,000 after purchasing an additional 602,707 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 16.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,997,877 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $789,762,000 after purchasing an additional 429,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 39.6% during the third quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,329 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $344,139,000 after purchasing an additional 370,699 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MCD. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.72.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock traded up $1.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $276.81. 3,275,408 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,243,950. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $245.73 and a one year high of $302.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.58 billion, a PE ratio of 23.94, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $282.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $281.24.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

McDonald’s 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.