Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Decreases Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. decreased its holdings in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,287,343 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 43,559 shares during the period. McDonald's comprises approximately 0.7% of Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.18% of McDonald's worth $373,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $316.60. The company had a trading volume of 2,282,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,573,333. The stock has a market capitalization of $226.20 billion, a PE ratio of 27.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62. The company's fifty day moving average is $308.18 and its 200 day moving average is $299.78. McDonald's Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released 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 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald'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 in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This trade represents a 7.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 28,136 shares of company stock worth $8,676,247 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wedbush raised their target price on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BTIG Research reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Tuesday. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $353.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.