Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Sells 43,559 Shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. decreased its stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,287,343 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 43,559 shares during the period. McDonald's makes up 0.7% of Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.18% of McDonald's worth $373,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Syon Capital LLC boosted its position in McDonald's by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 6,745 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,955,000 after acquiring an additional 968 shares in the last quarter. Brasada Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Brasada Capital Management LP now owns 2,598 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald's by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 13,832 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $4,010,000 after purchasing an additional 2,306 shares in the last quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd grew its stake in McDonald's by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 2,414 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $700,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Investment Services LLC bought a new position in McDonald's in the fourth quarter worth $457,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $286,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,978 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,263,290. The trade was a 6.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Citigroup cut their price target on McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Loop Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on McDonald's from $350.00 to $347.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.74.

McDonald's Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $316.13 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $307.94 and a 200 day moving average of $299.70. The company has a market cap of $225.86 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald's Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Equities research analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. McDonald's's payout ratio is 62.16%.

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.