Aspiriant LLC Reduces Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Aspiriant LLC decreased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 7.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,633 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 203 shares during the period. Aspiriant LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 32.3% in the 1st quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC now owns 176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $288.00 to $278.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $315.69.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $1.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $316.17. The company had a trading volume of 853,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,348,481. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $316.34. The stock has a market cap of $227.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.72, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $293.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.48.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 60.10%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,681 shares in the company, valued at $3,557,060. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,740.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,557,060. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,097 shares of company stock worth $10,221,233. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.