Heritage Investors Management Corp Cuts Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Heritage Investors Management Corp lowered its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,460 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 40 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 1.0% of Heritage Investors Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $31,152,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCD. Old Port Advisors lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 14.1% in the third quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 1,027 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 287,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $87,311,000 after purchasing an additional 15,695 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,869 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,051,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 9.0% during the third quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 2,344 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 7.0% in the third quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $217.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $293.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.72.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at $2,807,201.25. The trade was a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,504 shares of company stock worth $9,897,305. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.