Raymond James & Associates Sells 49,750 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Raymond James & Associates trimmed its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,237,467 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 49,750 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned about 0.17% of McDonald’s worth $348,904,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 155,740 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $46,179,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the last quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,191,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services raised its position in McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after buying an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock traded down $2.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $273.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,636,458 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,338,426. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $281.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $281.53. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The stock has a market cap of $196.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 57.74%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.41.

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.