LifePlan Financial LLC Lowers Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

LifePlan Financial LLC lessened its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,040 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 65 shares during the quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. First American Trust FSB boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 55.9% during the first quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 36,917 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $11,532,000 after buying an additional 13,234 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA boosted its position in McDonald’s by 58.0% during the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 248,826 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $71,829,000 after acquiring an additional 91,313 shares during the period. Hamilton Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 35.2% during the 1st quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,724 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,788,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 345,319 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $107,867,000 after acquiring an additional 18,393 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,487 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $770,970.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,754 shares in the company, valued at $2,713,740. This trade represents a 22.12% 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 hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $315,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,858 shares in the company, valued at $2,160,270. This represents a 12.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,341 shares of company stock worth $2,544,327 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $302.08 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $305.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $306.53. The company has a market cap of $215.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.50. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $276.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The fast-food giant reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.04. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 225.52% and a net margin of 32.21%.The company had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.97 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Redburn Atlantic reissued a “sell” rating and set a $260.00 price objective (down previously from $319.00) on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Bank of America decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $322.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $324.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $325.14.

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.