McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC

Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,248 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,101,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management raised its stake in 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 during the period. Boltwood Capital Management boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 2,887 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,724,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $304.76 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $292.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.10. The company has a market cap of $218.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total transaction of $334,755.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $475,176. This trade represents a 41.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,106 shares of company stock worth $6,382,112. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.