Diversify Advisory Services LLC Sells 3,959 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 36.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,858 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,959 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $72,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.39.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $280.90 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $292.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.50. The company has a market cap of $201.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $321,325.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,385 shares in the company, valued at $3,036,366.30. This represents a 9.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,704 shares of company stock worth $2,829,428. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.