Diversify Advisory Services LLC Reduces Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 36.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,858 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 3,959 shares during the quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $1,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 80.9% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,145 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $3,429,000 after acquiring an additional 5,430 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 20,013 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $5,802,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. Cambridge Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Advisors Inc. now owns 908 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Liberty One Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald's by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 104,315 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $30,240,000 after purchasing an additional 973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cadinha & Co. LLC increased its holdings in McDonald's by 75.4% in the fourth quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 90,297 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $26,176,000 after purchasing an additional 38,805 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Stock Up 0.7 %

MCD traded up $1.90 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $282.85. 3,852,565 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,112,984. The company's 50-day moving average is $292.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.72. The company has a market cap of $202.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.73. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.82 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald's Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCD. Barclays lifted their target price on McDonald's from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup upgraded McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $311.00 to $334.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Loop Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Robert W. Baird downgraded McDonald's from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $320.00 to $290.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on McDonald's from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $321.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $321,325.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,385 shares in the company, valued at $3,036,366.30. This represents a 9.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.95, for a total value of $436,134.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $453,882. This represents a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,704 shares of company stock valued at $2,829,428. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

About McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.