McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Diversified Portfolios Inc.

Diversified Portfolios Inc. decreased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,691 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 318 shares during the period. Diversified Portfolios Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, 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 $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $453,882. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,406 shares of company stock worth $2,150,857. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $310.16 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $291.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $291.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of several research reports. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday. Citigroup raised their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. KeyCorp boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s 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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.