Easterly Investment Partners LLC Sells 5,754 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Easterly Investment Partners LLC decreased its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 42.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,691 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,754 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,053 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $627,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,821 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Wealth LLC now owns 9,096 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,780,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 2,030 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $620,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 8,557 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s unveiled “McDonald’s NEXT,” a companywide growth strategy focused on automation, improved restaurant design, better food quality, stronger customer service, and more effective social media marketing. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and recent commentary suggest McDonald’s is gaining market share in a cautious consumer environment by leaning on low-cost meals, menu innovation, and strong value marketing. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s also highlighted plans around restaurant operating efficiency and franchisee support, which could improve margins over time but will likely take time to show up in results. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive vice president sold shares in a recent insider transaction, which is worth watching but is not necessarily a fundamental red flag on its own. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total value of $93,276.63. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,166,370.74. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 8,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,631,594 in the last three months. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MCD. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $306.00 in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Mizuho lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.45.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $276.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $294.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $308.42. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $271.98 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The business had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.