United Asset Strategies Inc. Decreases Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

United Asset Strategies Inc. cut its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,420 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 106,340.3% in 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 period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,341,360,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 10,702.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,174,426 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $644,739,000 after buying an additional 2,154,297 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in McDonald’s by 1,189.7% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,191,692 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $541,962,000 after buying an additional 2,021,754 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 31,574.5% during the second quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 1,628,069 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $162,807,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622,929 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. HSBC began coverage on McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Nine 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD remained flat at $266.23 during trading hours on Tuesday. 957,260 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,216,505. The company’s 50-day moving average is $284.60 and its 200-day moving average is $280.75. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $245.73 and a one year high of $302.39. The company has a market cap of $191.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.02, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.59 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.35 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

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.