Korea Investment CORP Trims Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Korea Investment CORP lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 525,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 34,946 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP owned approximately 0.07% of McDonald’s worth $152,296,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tyler Stone Wealth Management increased its position in McDonald’s by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 5,408 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,568,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. raised its stake in McDonald’s by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. now owns 11,479 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,328,000 after acquiring an additional 593 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 11,862 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 3,071 shares in the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 137.2% in the fourth quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 1,943 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 1,124 shares during the period. Finally, Ipsen Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $447,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. The trade was a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,405 shares of company stock valued at $9,886,656 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 2.1 %

MCD stock opened at $313.39 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $300.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $297.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.39.

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.