Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $1.24 Million Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Sterling Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 17.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,282 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 893 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,241,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Morse Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 3,385 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,031,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,647,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,544 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,906,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at about $394,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total value of $334,755.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $475,176. The trade was a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $312.34 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $307.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $299.18. The company has a market capitalization of $223.15 billion, a PE ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MCD. Wedbush lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America raised their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.87.

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.