Greenleaf Trust Sells 2,562 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Greenleaf Trust lessened its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,488 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,562 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $10,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, March 25th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE MCD traded up $1.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $271.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,904,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,245,232. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $283.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $280.62. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39. The company has a market capitalization of $196.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

McDonald’s Company 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.