Global Retirement Partners LLC Sells 3,760 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Global Retirement Partners LLC cut its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,232 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,760 shares during the quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $44,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $301.71 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $292.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.44. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $962,432.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 9,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,892.08. The trade was a 24.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,106 shares of company stock valued at $6,368,814. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Baird R W lowered McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. KeyCorp increased their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.