Payden & Rygel Reduces Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Payden & Rygel lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 40,600 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,500 shares during the period. Payden & Rygel’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $11,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 30,110 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $8,729,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Bell Bank grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Bell Bank now owns 12,699 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,681,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $1,628,000. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,512 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $2,471,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $299.68 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $214.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s fifty day moving average is $304.34 and its 200-day moving average is $298.72. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly 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%. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.30.

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.