Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 9,046 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lowered its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 46,516 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 9,046 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $14,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at $38,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth $65,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Baird R W lowered McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.46.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $446,721.60. This represents a 48.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.70, for a total value of $316,992.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,632,712.10. This trade represents a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 35,596 shares of company stock valued at $10,698,289 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.1 %

MCD stock opened at $290.89 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $208.46 billion, a PE ratio of 25.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $300.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.84. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.82 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.77 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 58.65%.

McDonald’s 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.