HS Management Partners LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

HS Management Partners LLC reduced its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 211,950 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 39,215 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up 4.2% of HS Management Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. HS Management Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $61,442,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 30,110 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $8,729,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Bell Bank increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Bell Bank now owns 12,699 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,681,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,394,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $1,628,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,694,403,000 after acquiring an additional 49,106 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $307.58 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $219.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.00, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $294.82 and its 200 day moving average is $295.91.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (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, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.