New England Research & Management Inc. Reduces Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

New England Research & Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,114 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 323 shares during the quarter. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $513,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GDS Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $290.41 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $291.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.23.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,905 shares of company stock valued at $2,592,327. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut shares of McDonald’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $320.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.87.

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.