Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 5,638 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 27.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,186 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,638 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,503,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,449,565 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $18,032,353,000 after purchasing an additional 262,147 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 106,340.3% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,235,890 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,069,234,000 after purchasing an additional 19,217,818 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,200,473 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,423,773,000 after purchasing an additional 151,161 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,341,360,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,390,035 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,401,570,000 after purchasing an additional 237,532 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of MCD stock traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $266.56. 1,730,594 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,227,453. The company has a market capitalization of $192.19 billion, a PE ratio of 23.01, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $245.73 and a 12-month high of $302.39. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $284.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $280.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.59 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.35 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $319.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.