GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Trims Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,511 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 42 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 79,253 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $24,133,000 after buying an additional 4,987 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 8.5% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 5,615 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,689,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,058 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $943,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 29,984 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,131,000 after purchasing an additional 1,169 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Baird R W downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $334.00 to $336.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total transaction of $321,457.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,716,155. This trade represents a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,406 shares of company stock valued at $2,150,857 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $294.39 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $210.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $290.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $290.40.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

About McDonald’s

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.