Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Sells 228 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. cut its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,975 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 228 shares during the period. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.6 %

McDonald’s stock opened at $304.76 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $292.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $293.76. The stock has a market cap of $218.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 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 analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush raised their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten investment 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total value of $321,457.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,716,155. The trade was a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,205 shares of company stock valued at $6,703,569 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Company 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.