Boston Research & Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Boston Research & Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,046 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 83 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises approximately 1.8% of Boston Research & Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Boston Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $7,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Summit Financial LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 18,470 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,354,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the period. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. D L Carlson Investment Group Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. D L Carlson Investment Group Inc. now owns 2,367 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd increased its position in McDonald’s by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 20,212 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,859,000 after buying an additional 7,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Partners in Financial Planning bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $467,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,996 shares of company stock valued at $8,897,534. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.8 %

MCD stock opened at $306.95 on Monday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $219.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $301.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $298.20.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MCD. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. KeyCorp raised their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Wedbush lifted 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. Finally, Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

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.