Northstar Group Inc. Has $2.03 Million Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Northstar Group Inc. trimmed its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,491 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 138 shares during the period. Northstar Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,028,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,169,342 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $20,341,391,000 after purchasing an additional 526,466 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,074,438 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,652,768,000 after purchasing an additional 157,458 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,652,445 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,088,037,000 after acquiring an additional 531,070 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $2,725,190,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,867,193 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,570,511,000 after acquiring an additional 895,896 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $301.57 on Monday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $215.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $311.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $303.03.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.07, for a total value of $295,850.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,496.27. The trade was a 7.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $324.00 price target (down from $329.00) on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Redburn Atlantic reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $260.00 price target (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $321.79.

McDonald’s Profile

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.