McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 922 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 467.5% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 33,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,855,000 after buying an additional 28,006 shares during the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $1,663,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 42,020 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $12,181,000 after purchasing an additional 9,952 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 540,842 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $156,785,000 after purchasing an additional 10,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $396,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of MCD opened at $306.95 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $301.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.15. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the company’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 value of $989,121.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock worth $9,886,656 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.