Vectors Research Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Vectors Research Management LLC lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,168 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 90 shares during the quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 10.4% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 13.3% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,645 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,156,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.9% during the first quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 6,621 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,867,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. raised its stake in McDonald’s by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 35,027 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,876,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 93.8% in the 1st quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 34,077 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,608,000 after purchasing an additional 16,497 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $298.56 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $213.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $299.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $277.14.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.46.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This trade represents a 48.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,632,712.10. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,596 shares of company stock valued at $10,698,289. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.