McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Whipplewood Advisors LLC

Whipplewood Advisors LLC cut its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,763 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 34 shares during the period. McDonald’s accounts for about 0.8% of Whipplewood Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Whipplewood Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 3,630 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,134,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Security Financial Services INC. raised its stake in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the first quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 5,043 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,588 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,620,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Platform Technology Partners grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 8,617 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. now owns 1,070 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.3%

MCD stock opened at $306.05 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $218.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $306.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $305.65. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The fast-food giant reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.68 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.21% and a negative return on equity of 225.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.97 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $1.86 dividend. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.67%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 99 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,690. This represents a 90.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $315,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,160,270. This represents a 12.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,463 shares of company stock valued at $1,692,186. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $322.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of McDonald’s from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Eleven investment 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 MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $324.50.

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.