LifePlan Financial LLC Cuts Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

LifePlan Financial LLC reduced its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,896 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 203 shares during the quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd now owns 17,369 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,030,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Transform Wealth LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 74.5% in the 4th quarter. Transform Wealth LLC now owns 1,525 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $442,000 after buying an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 1,589 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 2,251 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $653,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares during the period. Finally, Solidarity Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Solidarity Wealth LLC now owns 36,581 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,604,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $282.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $292.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.72. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of McDonald’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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $453,882. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,605 shares of company stock worth $2,508,102. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Baird R W cut shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $321.22.

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.