McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Stratos Investment Management LLC

Stratos Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 19.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,673 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 1,093 shares during the quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $1,460,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 110.0% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MCD traded up $1.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $293.33. The stock had a trading volume of 3,235,088 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,537,167. McDonald's Corporation has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $305.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $302.45. The company has a market capitalization of $209.74 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 EPS for the quarter, meeting 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 firm had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $260.00 price target (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Northcoast Research lowered shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $324.00 price objective (down previously from $329.00) on shares of McDonald's in a report on Monday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $321.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.52, for a total value of $270,920.28. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 10,222 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 2,817 shares of company stock worth $865,843 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

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.