WD Rutherford LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

WD Rutherford LLC lessened its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,183 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 303 shares during the quarter. WD Rutherford LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,274,000 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. Avitas Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,533 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,557,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $534,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 9.0% during the third quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $714,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the third quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,869 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,051,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 15,819 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,817,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $295.03 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $298.15 and its 200-day moving average is $275.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 61.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,632,712.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,632,712.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total transaction of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at $14,966,996.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,097 shares of company stock worth $10,256,818. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Argus raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.22.

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.