CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Reduces Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co decreased its position in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,215,715 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 1,936 shares during the quarter. McDonald's comprises approximately 0.6% of CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.17% of McDonald's worth $352,187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald's Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD traded down $5.41 on Monday, hitting $305.89. 710,365 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,575,884. McDonald's Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The company's 50-day moving average price is $307.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

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

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,497 shares of company stock worth $8,461,400 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. KeyCorp raised their price objective on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, February 10th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.87.

McDonald's 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.