FIL Ltd Sells 46,790 Shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

FIL Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 89.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,245 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 46,790 shares during the period. FIL Ltd's holdings in McDonald's were worth $1,520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Morse Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 12.8% during the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 3,385 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,031,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald's by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the third quarter valued at about $1,647,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its position in McDonald's by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,544 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $2,906,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $394,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded up $1.48 on Thursday, reaching $310.58. 904,396 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,576,447. The company has a 50-day moving average of $307.31 and a 200-day moving average of $299.25. The company has a market cap of $221.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald's Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. McDonald's's payout ratio is 62.16%.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,497 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,400 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America upped their target price on McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Wedbush raised their price target 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald's currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.87.

About McDonald's

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.