Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Lowers Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group lessened its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 24.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,955 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,266 shares during the quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Wedbush boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Trading Down 2.4 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $299.40 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $296.76 and a 200-day moving average of $296.70. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,720,778.28. This represents a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s 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.