AQR Capital Management LLC Decreases Stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

AQR Capital Management LLC cut its position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 313,139 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 48,025 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $90,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in McDonald's by 110.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was 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 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 28,136 shares of company stock valued at $8,676,247 over the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald's Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $319.79 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $309.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $300.07. The company has a market capitalization of $228.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a PEG 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.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. On average, research analysts expect 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 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America lifted their target price on McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.74.

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.

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