Sterling Financial Planning Inc. Has $297,000 Stock Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Sterling Financial Planning Inc. decreased its position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 47.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,023 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 928 shares during the quarter. Sterling Financial Planning Inc.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD traded up $2.02 on Friday, hitting $305.07. 1,588,381 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,152,625. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald's Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $317.90. The company's 50-day moving average price is $292.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $293.51.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $962,432.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,964,892.08. This represents a 24.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,106 shares of company stock valued at $6,368,814 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of McDonald's from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.61.

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.