Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 25,748 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lessened its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,101,601 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 25,748 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises 1.7% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of McDonald’s worth $319,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 30,110 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $8,729,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Bell Bank lifted its position in McDonald’s by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Bell Bank now owns 12,699 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,681,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $1,394,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,628,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,694,403,000 after acquiring an additional 49,106 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MCD. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $303.70 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $294.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $295.64. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The firm has a market cap of $216.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. On average, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

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.