McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 26.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,674 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,884 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,906 shares of company stock worth $5,406,382 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $308.59 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $291.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $292.20. The company has a market capitalization of $221.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.