McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Paulson Wealth Management Inc.

Paulson Wealth Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 9.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,987 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 205 shares during the period. Paulson Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MCD. Concentric Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Concentric Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,551 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Mechanics Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Mechanics Financial Corp now owns 5,331 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,581,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,268 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,833 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,831,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $357.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, July 29th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $303.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total value of $371,893.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $387,285.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.26, for a total transaction of $371,893.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $387,285.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 14,780 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,842,800. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,793 shares of company stock worth $1,260,106. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $288.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,016,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,545,131. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $302.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $262.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $270.79. The company has a market cap of $208.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.48, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.92%. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.71%.

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.