Private Advisor Group LLC Lowers Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Private Advisor Group LLC decreased its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,573 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,589 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $25,676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the third quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Boltwood Capital Management grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. McAdam LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% during the third quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 2,176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $663,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LCM Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% during the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 2,887 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $879,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on MCD. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Baird R W downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

McDonald’s Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE MCD opened at $304.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $292.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.38.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

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.