Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 27.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,186 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,638 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,503,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.1 %

McDonald’s stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $266.56. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,730,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,227,453. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $245.73 and a twelve month high of $302.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $284.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $280.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.35 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MCD. Citigroup cut their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.72.

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.