First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown Trims Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown lowered its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,247 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 145 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises about 0.8% of First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.0 %

McDonald’s stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $271.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,042,902 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,218,656. The firm has a market capitalization of $195.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $283.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on MCD. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. BTIG Research cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.72.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.