WR Wealth Planners LLC Lowers Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WR Wealth Planners LLC decreased its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,493 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 35 shares during the quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Wiser Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,254,000. Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 39,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $11,389,000 after purchasing an additional 2,402 shares during the period. Fortress Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Mills Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $453,882. This trade represents a 49.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This trade represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $308.17 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $294.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $295.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company 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 $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

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.