Unigestion Holding SA Trims Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Unigestion Holding SA decreased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 24.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 95,242 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 31,129 shares during the period. McDonald’s accounts for 1.6% of Unigestion Holding SA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Unigestion Holding SA’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $27,610,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 110.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Down 5.8 %

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $299.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $214.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.31, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $304.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $298.75. 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 quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. On average, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.30.

McDonald’s 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.