Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Decreases Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. trimmed its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,916 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 762 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises about 1.6% of Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total transaction of $3,228,797.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,918.26. This represents a 69.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $308.17 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $294.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $295.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.18 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 announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s 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.