Strategy Asset Managers LLC Sells 87 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Strategy Asset Managers LLC reduced its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,312 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 87 shares during the quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allianz SE bought a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $19,513,000. Cambridge Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $8,150,000. Intrust Bank NA raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 8,178 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,371,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 40,689 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $11,795,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Corp grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 2,950.0% during the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 21,350 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,189,000 after purchasing an additional 20,650 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 1.8 %

MCD stock opened at $306.95 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $301.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $298.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. This trade represents a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $286,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,978 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,263,290. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock worth $9,886,656. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.