Nwam LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Nwam LLC cut its holdings in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 86.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 696 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 4,491 shares during the quarter. Nwam LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $217,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald's in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new position in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald's in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Price Performance

NYSE MCD traded down $2.28 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $295.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,148,525 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,588,081. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $301.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $302.83. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $250.23 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $211.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its 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. 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 195.27% and a net margin of 31.75%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. McDonald's's payout ratio is 62.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital downgraded 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 research report on Friday, June 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $345.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Northcoast Research cut McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on McDonald's from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald's from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $322.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.49, for a total transaction of $281,221.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,780,165.67. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 8,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,657,400. The trade was a 10.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,817 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,992. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.