WealthPLAN Partners LLC Reduces Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WealthPLAN Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,355 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 358 shares during the period. WealthPLAN Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $683,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $308.59 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $291.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $292.20. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (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 expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wedbush lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $453,882. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,906 shares of company stock worth $5,406,382. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.