National Pension Service Sells 114,360 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

National Pension Service cut its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 7.1% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,495,271 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 114,360 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $436,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the first quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 3,630 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,134,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Security Financial Services INC. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 5,043 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,575,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,588 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,620,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 3.4% during the first quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. now owns 1,070 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AGP Franklin LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the first quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 10,001 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,125,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 99 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,690. This trade represents a 90.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $315,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,160,270. The trade was a 12.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 15,134 shares of company stock valued at $4,570,716 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $306.48 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $218.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $303.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $304.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.21% and a negative return on equity of 225.52%. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.23 EPS. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $1.86 dividend. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Bank of America reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $322.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Mizuho raised McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $323.91.

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.