Beech Hill Advisors Inc. Sells 995 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Beech Hill Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,705 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 995 shares during the period. Beech Hill Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 67.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 4,583 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.70, for a total value of $1,332,278.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,379,960.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BTIG Research downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. HSBC initiated coverage on McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.10.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD stock traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $278.61. 3,319,019 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,204,208. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $292.15 and its 200-day moving average is $280.80. The company has a market cap of $201.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.72. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 57.74%.

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.