Private Advisor Group LLC Has $25.68 Million Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Private Advisor Group LLC reduced its holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,573 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 2,589 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $25,676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the third quarter worth $1,394,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter worth about $1,628,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,694,403,000 after acquiring an additional 49,106 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 6.5% in the third quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 49,186 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $14,978,000 after acquiring an additional 2,997 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,471,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MCD. 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on McDonald's from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.10, for a total value of $319,918.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,383,235.70. This represents a 11.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade 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 22,205 shares of company stock valued at $6,703,569 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $1.71 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $304.76. 3,034,763 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,120,908. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 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 company's 50 day moving average is $292.61 and its 200 day moving average is $293.76.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Research analysts anticipate that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

McDonald's Company Profile

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.