Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,092 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,886 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $23,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bailard Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 37,105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,756,000 after acquiring an additional 1,161 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 6,622 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,920,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 23,274 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,747,000 after acquiring an additional 2,881 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 9,835 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,848,000 after acquiring an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $422,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $308.17 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $220.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $294.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $295.27.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly 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%. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research 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 stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. 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 quarter. 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.