Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP Has $572,000 Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,929 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 221 shares during the quarter. Cognios Beta Neutral Large Cap Fund LP’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCD. Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased 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 during the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd now owns 1,374 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Unique Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Patron Partners LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wagner Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 906 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded down $0.13 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $276.75. 4,005,918 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,254,401. The stock has a market cap of $199.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $282.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $281.45. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.59 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’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 transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 value of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. BTIG Research cut McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Barclays reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.72.

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.