Centaurus Financial Inc. Decreases Stock Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Centaurus Financial Inc. reduced its position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 47.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,641 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 2,384 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $415,000. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC grew its position in McDonald's by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC now owns 4,416 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Mattson Financial Services LLC grew its position in McDonald's by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 11,168 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $3,401,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the period. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $428,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $325.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 11,161 shares in the company, valued at $3,516,496.27. The trade was a 7.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Trading Down 0.0%

McDonald's stock traded down $0.00 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $312.68. The stock had a trading volume of 3,028,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,506,951. The firm has a market capitalization of $223.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's 50 day moving average is $312.39 and its 200 day moving average is $302.27. McDonald's Co. has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $326.32.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.67. The company 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%. McDonald's's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.70 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 62.49%.

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.