McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stock Holdings Lowered by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lessened its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,868 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 574 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $16,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 2.8% during the third quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Boltwood Capital Management increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 1,882 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.3% in the third quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 2,887 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $879,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 9,396 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,724,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $304.02 on Thursday. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $293.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $217.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

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 $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total transaction of $3,228,797.89. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,918.26. This represents a 69.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 32,504 shares of company stock valued at $9,897,305. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America increased their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.61.

About McDonald’s

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.