Gotham Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Gotham Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,715 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 3,337 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $8,904,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth about $2,725,190,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $703,074,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $350,935,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in McDonald's by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,867,193 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $2,570,511,000 after buying an additional 895,896 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in McDonald's by 24.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,054,387 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,175,326,000 after buying an additional 794,536 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays upped their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BTIG Research reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on McDonald's from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $325.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,853,850. The trade was a 7.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $962,432.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,964,892.08. This represents a 24.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,636 shares of company stock worth $5,420,722 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of McDonald's stock opened at $311.97 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $310.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $300.25. McDonald's Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $223.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued 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. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald's Co. will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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