Swedbank AB Reduces Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Swedbank AB decreased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,107,174 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 58,924 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $320,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. now owns 11,756 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,408,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 4,521 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,311,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,531 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,894,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Masso Torrence Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Masso Torrence Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,375 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 209,500 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $60,732,000 after buying an additional 7,400 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock traded up $0.76 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $291.91. 146,276 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,969,492. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $291.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $289.23. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90.

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 the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total transaction of $321,457.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,286 shares in the company, valued at $2,716,155. This trade represents a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,905 shares of company stock valued at $2,592,327. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Baird R W downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $334.00 to $336.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.