Cypress Capital Group Reduces Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cypress Capital Group cut its position in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,310 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 1,437 shares during the period. Cypress Capital Group's holdings in McDonald's were worth $7,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded up $1.81 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $307.58. 2,325,883 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,318,288. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $294.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $295.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.00, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald's Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $317.90.

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

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total transaction of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,383,235.70. This trade represents a 11.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 33,504 shares of company stock valued at $10,206,575. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCD. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of McDonald's from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.61.

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.