WealthTrust Axiom LLC Reduces Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WealthTrust Axiom LLC decreased its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,911 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. WealthTrust Axiom LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays upped 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.87.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $309.84 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $306.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $299.04. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.37 billion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued 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 2.29%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.