Northstar Asset Management Inc. Cuts Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Northstar Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 799 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 101 shares during the period. Northstar Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,655 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $34,687,000 after purchasing an additional 9,169 shares during the last quarter. Meredith Wealth Planning raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Meredith Wealth Planning now owns 1,197 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 3,684 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,068,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 225.7% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Americana Partners LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 1,509.1% in the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 73,424 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,285,000 after purchasing an additional 68,861 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 firm’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 $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,906 shares of company stock worth $5,406,382. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $308.59 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a PEG ratio of 4.08 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $291.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Guggenheim cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.