Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Decreases Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC cut its holdings in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,934 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 1,148 shares during the quarter. McDonald's comprises approximately 2.0% of Cutler Investment Counsel LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $15,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Creative Planning raised its position in McDonald's by 1.4% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 329,417 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $100,311,000 after purchasing an additional 4,480 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the 3rd quarter valued at $222,000. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new position in McDonald's during the 3rd quarter valued at about $649,000. Seamount Financial Group Inc. grew its position in McDonald's by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Seamount Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,368 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $721,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in McDonald's by 14.0% during the third quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on MCD shares. 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 note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on McDonald's from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Guggenheim lowered McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. KeyCorp upped their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.61.

McDonald's Price Performance

MCD stock traded down $2.78 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $302.05. The stock had a trading volume of 1,962,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,175,124. The company's 50-day moving average price is $292.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $293.38. The firm has a market cap of $216.45 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.74. 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 quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,906 shares of company stock valued at $5,406,382. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

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.