Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. Trims Holdings in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. reduced its stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,111 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 1,919 shares during the quarter. McDonald's accounts for 3.5% of Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC.'s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $6,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $316.61 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $311.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $301.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. McDonald's Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 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 for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. The firm'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 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $340.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on McDonald's from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $325.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,436 shares of company stock worth $4,458,290 over the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.