McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,001 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,611 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $962,432.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,892.08. This represents a 24.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.30.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $318.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $304.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $298.69.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

McDonald’s Profile

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.