Impax Asset Management Group plc Reduces Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Impax Asset Management Group plc trimmed its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 694 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,968,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 10.4% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $848,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 14,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,165,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. First Long Island Investors LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 16.6% during the first quarter. First Long Island Investors LLC now owns 54,021 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $15,231,000 after purchasing an additional 7,707 shares during the last quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 4.8% during the first quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG now owns 201,132 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $56,709,000 after purchasing an additional 9,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 63.8% during the first quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 4,787 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,865 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE MCD opened at $297.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $298.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $276.23. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $213.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.99% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Citigroup lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.46.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $446,721.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 2,346 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $727,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,905 shares in the company, valued at $900,550. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,596 shares of company stock worth $10,698,289 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.