Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Reduces Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lessened its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 152,375 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,784 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $44,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.1 %

McDonald’s stock opened at $306.83 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $297.89 and a 200-day moving average of $297.19. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.94, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total transaction of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

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.