McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Skylands Capital LLC

Skylands Capital LLC cut its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 700 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 150 shares during the period. Skylands Capital LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $307.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $220.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.98, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $292.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.35.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.60, for a total value of $334,755.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $475,176. The trade was a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 21,106 shares of company stock worth $6,382,112. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

About McDonald’s

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.