Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Lowers Holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. decreased its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 29.3% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,168 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 900 shares during the quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.07, for a total value of $295,850.73. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,161 shares in the company, valued at $3,516,496.27. The trade was a 7.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $302.93 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $216.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $311.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $302.88.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.67. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. Citigroup raised their target price on McDonald’s from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays increased their price target on McDonald’s from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BTIG Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp upped their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $321.79.

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.