McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Verus Financial Partners Inc.

Verus Financial Partners Inc. lowered its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 155,740 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $46,179,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the period. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.6% during the third quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $21,191,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded down $1.20 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $267.29. 1,252,549 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,285,779. The firm has a market cap of $192.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $245.73 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $282.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 180.54%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. BTIG Research downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $317.74.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.