Baxter Bros Inc. Cuts Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Baxter Bros Inc. lessened its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,412 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 155,740 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $46,179,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the period. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 0.6% during the third quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,191,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 7.9% in the third quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of MCD traded down $2.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $270.32. The stock had a trading volume of 2,642,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,812,742. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $279.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $282.35. The firm has a market cap of $194.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $245.73 and a one year high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.54% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, March 25th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.74.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.