McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stake Decreased by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 17.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,282 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 893 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $1,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its position in 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 during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the third quarter worth $1,647,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in McDonald's by 1.9% in the third quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,544 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $2,906,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald's during the third quarter worth about $394,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Price Performance

MCD traded up $1.72 during trading on Friday, hitting $310.82. The company had a trading volume of 2,726,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,584,906. The company has a market cap of $222.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald's Co. has a 1-year low of $243.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $307.38 and a 200-day moving average of $299.35.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. Research analysts forecast that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MCD. Loop Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.87.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $10,155,997.80. This represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total transaction of $3,228,797.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,918.26. This represents a 69.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,497 shares of company stock worth $8,461,400. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.