Yousif Capital Management LLC Cuts Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 114,491 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,055 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $33,948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Independent Wealth Network Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 863 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Patron Partners LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Wagner Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 906 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. BTIG Research cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD traded up $1.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $276.81. 3,275,408 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,243,950. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $282.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $281.45. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $245.73 and a fifty-two week high of $302.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.58 billion, a PE ratio of 23.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.59 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.74%.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.