Royal Fund Management LLC Reduces Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Royal Fund Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,125 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,824 shares during the quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,511,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.1 %

MCD stock traded down $2.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $270.32. 2,642,344 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,812,742. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $245.73 and a 52-week high of $302.39. The stock has a market cap of $194.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $279.53 and its 200 day moving average is $282.35.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.54% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. StockNews.com lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.74.

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.