WealthShield Partners LLC Reduces Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WealthShield Partners LLC cut its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 14.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,541 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 785 shares during the period. WealthShield Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Waverton Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,197 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $279,000. World Equity Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 92.6% in the 4th quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 11,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,311,000 after buying an additional 5,492 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Delta Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $760,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of MCD opened at $307.34 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $292.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $294.35. The company has a market capitalization of $220.24 billion, a PE ratio of 26.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 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.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. 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 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total transaction of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. This trade represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,106 shares of company stock worth $6,382,112 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target 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. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.