Xponance Inc. Sells 4,618 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Xponance Inc. lowered its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,178 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,618 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $31,360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $703,074,000. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 542.9% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 801,858 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $244,174,000 after buying an additional 677,139 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 43,591.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 590,711 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $171,241,000 after purchasing an additional 589,359 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $121,254,000. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 518.1% in the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 348,119 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $100,916,000 after purchasing an additional 291,802 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.4 %

MCD opened at $304.01 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $297.20 and its 200-day moving average is $297.02. The stock has a market cap of $217.20 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, 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 announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

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 Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America upped their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

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.