ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Has $2.35 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,528 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 212 shares during the period. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $307.44 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $312.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.66. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.17 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Loop Capital cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $346.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.96.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.