HS Management Partners LLC Decreases Position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

HS Management Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 35.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 137,814 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 74,136 shares during the period. McDonald's accounts for about 3.5% of HS Management Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. HS Management Partners LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $43,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management acquired a new position in McDonald's in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded down $3.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $296.87. The stock had a trading volume of 3,477,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,528,220. The company's 50-day moving average price is $302.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $302.72. The company has a market capitalization of $212.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald's Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $246.12 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.75% and a negative return on equity of 195.27%. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.70 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.52, for a total transaction of $270,920.28. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 10,222 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,949,251.44. This trade represents a 8.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $300,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 8,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,657,400. This represents a 10.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,817 shares of company stock worth $1,165,843. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MCD. Erste Group Bank cut shares of McDonald's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of McDonald's from $324.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 30th. BTIG Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $346.00 to $315.00 in a report on Friday, June 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $319.72.

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.