BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Decreases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 35.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 289,716 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 158,974 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $88,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at $65,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on McDonald’s from $284.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $321,325.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,036,366.30. This represents a 9.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of McDonald’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 transaction of $441,470.49. Following the completion of 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. Insiders sold 35,596 shares of company stock worth $10,698,289 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $290.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $208.46 billion, a PE ratio of 25.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $300.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.84. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 58.65%.

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.