Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Lowers Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lessened its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 48,430 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,101 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $14,039,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. United Bank raised its stake in McDonald’s by 3.5% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 6,446 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,963,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,851 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 66.9% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 6,324 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,926,000 after purchasing an additional 2,536 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 255,748 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $77,878,000 after purchasing an additional 11,743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 15,720 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,787,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wedbush upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.39.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $305.85 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $299.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $297.65. The company has a market capitalization of $218.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.85, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

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.