McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) is Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s 5th Largest Position

Monarch Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,911 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 745 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises 3.4% of Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $12,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $300.25 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $311.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $302.84. McDonald’s Co. has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $214.69 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.49%.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.07, for a total value of $295,850.73. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,161 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,516,496.27. This represents a 7.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Wedbush raised their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $324.00 target price (down previously from $329.00) on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday. Finally, TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $321.79.

McDonald’s 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.