Stratos Investment Management LLC Has $1.80 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Stratos Investment Management LLC lessened its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 68.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,925 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 12,612 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.2% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,567,030,000 after acquiring an additional 188,888 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 66.9% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,542,550,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193,769 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in McDonald’s by 8.0% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,216,677,000 after buying an additional 354,196 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 39.7% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,005,264,000 after buying an additional 1,012,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the first quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 2,273,354 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $640,972,000 after buying an additional 8,475 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $316.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $228.12 billion, a PE ratio of 26.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $294.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.07 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.62 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.25% and a negative return on equity of 178.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.71 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,740.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,557,060. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $285,740.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,681 shares in the company, valued at $3,557,060. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’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 transaction of $316,992.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,632,712.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,097 shares of company stock worth $10,221,233. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. UBS Group boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, July 29th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $315.69.

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.