Flaharty Asset Management LLC Sells 424 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Flaharty Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 28.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,085 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 424 shares during the quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 48,708 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $14,120,000 after purchasing an additional 2,130 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 3,332 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 297,971 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $86,379,000 after acquiring an additional 42,223 shares in the last quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,268,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $12,254,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $308.17 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $294.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.09. The firm has a market cap of $220.84 billion, a PE ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.61.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.