Solstein Capital LLC Reduces Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Solstein Capital LLC decreased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.2% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 741 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 93 shares during the quarter. Solstein Capital LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $231,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its position 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 during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $301.57 on Monday. 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 $215.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $311.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $303.03.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $321.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total transaction of $299,071.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This trade represents a 7.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.