McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Central Bank & Trust Co.

Central Bank & Trust Co. reduced its position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 17.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,141 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 1,929 shares during the quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $2,855,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $2,725,190,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald's by 39,039.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,497,919 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,092,645,000 after acquiring an additional 3,488,982 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $703,074,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth approximately $350,935,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,867,193 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $2,570,511,000 after purchasing an additional 895,896 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Stock Performance

MCD traded down $2.52 during trading on Monday, reaching $304.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,058,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,499,733. The company's fifty day moving average price is $312.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $302.76. McDonald's Co. has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The company has a market capitalization of $217.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67. The firm had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MCD. Northcoast Research cut shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. KeyCorp boosted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $324.48.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

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.