Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP Sells 221 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP decreased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,929 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 221 shares during the period. Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Independent Wealth Network Inc. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 863 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd grew its stake in McDonald’s by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Unique Wealth LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $963,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Patron Partners LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wagner Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 906 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MCD. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Citigroup cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.72.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded down $0.13 on Wednesday, reaching $276.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,005,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,254,401. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $282.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $281.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.92, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.74%.

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.