Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Sells 3,971 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. trimmed its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 139,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,971 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $40,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. United Bank increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 6,446 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,963,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 18.0% in the third quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after buying an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $1,961,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 233.8% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,552 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $473,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. raised its stake in McDonald’s by 2.9% during the third quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 43,385 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $13,211,000 after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.01 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $297.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $297.02. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $217.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.39.

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.