Sit Investment Associates Inc. Sells 4,819 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Sit Investment Associates Inc. decreased its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 55,230 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,819 shares during the quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $16,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $299.68 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $304.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $298.72. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MCD. Wedbush lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average 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.