Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC Lowers Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,533 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,298 shares during the quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total transaction of $3,228,797.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,918.26. This trade represents a 69.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America increased their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp increased their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD opened at $308.17 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The company has a market cap of $220.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $294.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $295.27.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid 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 yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

McDonald’s Profile

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.