Viawealth LLC Cuts Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Viawealth LLC lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,557 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 298 shares during the period. Viawealth LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 110.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock worth $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America raised their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.39.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $306.83 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $219.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $297.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $297.19. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

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.