First Western Trust Bank Sells 3,279 Shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

First Western Trust Bank cut its holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,319 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 3,279 shares during the quarter. McDonald's comprises approximately 0.4% of First Western Trust Bank's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. First Western Trust Bank's holdings in McDonald's were worth $8,928,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 2nd quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 2nd quarter valued at $65,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of MCD stock traded down $1.37 on Monday, hitting $291.26. 1,695,495 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,501,335. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.72 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald's Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90. The firm's 50 day moving average is $300.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.48.

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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald's Co. will post 11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from McDonald's's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.65%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $446,721.60. The trade was a 48.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 11,727 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.03, for a total value of $3,518,451.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 49,885 shares in the company, valued at $14,966,996.55. This trade represents a 19.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,596 shares of company stock worth $10,698,289. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Argus raised shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $301.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald's has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $319.46.

McDonald's Company Profile

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.