James Investment Research Inc. Lowers Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

James Investment Research Inc. decreased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,969 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 609 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 1.3% of James Investment Research Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $10,717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $308.59 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.14 billion, a PE ratio of 27.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $291.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $292.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. The trade was a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,906 shares of company stock worth $5,406,382. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Wedbush lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.