McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock Holdings Lessened by Symmetry Partners LLC

Symmetry Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 50.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,593 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,608 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% during the third quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $513,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the second quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, McAdam LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 2,176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $663,000 after acquiring an additional 36 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, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,966,996.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,966,996.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,632,712.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,818 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $3.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $295.21. The stock had a trading volume of 4,131,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,530,975. The company has a market capitalization of $211.77 billion, a PE ratio of 25.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $298.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $275.78.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.99% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Guggenheim cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.46.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.