Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Lowers Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. reduced its position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,000 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,000 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.4% in the third quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 2.0% during the third quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the third quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% in the second quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.3% in the first quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,833 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $799,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MCD. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $296.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.69.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD traded up $1.86 on Friday, hitting $316.56. 2,531,197 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,356,786. The business’s fifty day moving average is $294.62 and its 200 day moving average is $273.73. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.18. The company has a market capitalization of $228.14 billion, a PE ratio of 26.87, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.73.

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

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 49,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,966,996.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total transaction of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,721.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,221,233. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company 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.