Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Cuts Stock Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,529 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 2,438 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in McDonald's were worth $23,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 110.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Down 0.7 %

MCD traded down $2.35 during trading on Thursday, hitting $316.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,478,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,583,123. The firm has a market cap of $225.86 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. McDonald's Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $307.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $299.60.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the 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 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. Insiders sold a total of 28,136 shares of company stock worth $8,676,247 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MCD. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup cut their target price on McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.74.

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.