Community Bank N.A. Decreases Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Community Bank N.A. lessened its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,070 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 309 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading 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 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. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $282.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $281.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

About McDonald’s

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.