Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Has $22.47 Million Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lowered its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 77,500 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,600 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $22,466,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $307.18 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $298.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.26. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.97, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its 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 negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on MCD shares. Barclays boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.39.

About McDonald’s

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.