Denali Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Denali Advisors LLC reduced its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,460 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 833 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MCD stock opened at $310.84 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $293.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $294.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 value of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,504 shares of company stock valued at $9,897,305 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MCD. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Company 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.