GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Lowers Stake in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 17.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,825 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 1,190 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $1,819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald's in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 110.0% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of McDonald's stock traded up $1.21 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $302.93. The stock had a trading volume of 2,581,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,507,059. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $311.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $302.83. McDonald's Co. has a 12-month low of $243.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $216.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.56.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.67. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. 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 2.34%. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 62.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $260.00 price target (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of McDonald's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up previously from $340.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $321.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.07, for a total transaction of $295,850.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,516,496.27. This trade represents a 7.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.