McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Athena Investment Management

Athena Investment Management reduced its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,180 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 73 shares during the quarter. Athena Investment Management’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of MCD stock opened at $308.17 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The business’s 50 day moving average is $294.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $295.09. The company has a market cap of $220.84 billion, a PE ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MCD. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their target price on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.