Meridian Financial LLC Lowers Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Meridian Financial LLC trimmed its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 13.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,302 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Meridian Financial LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $378,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,571 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,773 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 4,366 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 62,952 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $18,249,000 after acquiring an additional 3,795 shares during the period. Finally, Financial & Tax Architects LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC now owns 22,982 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,662,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $280.90 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $292.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $286.97. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The company has a market cap of $201.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total value of $441,470.49. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $459,435.60. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,704 shares of company stock valued at $2,829,428. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Guggenheim cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $321.39.

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.