Marshall Wace LLP Reduces Position in Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO)

Marshall Wace LLP cut its stake in Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO - Free Report) by 87.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 81,266 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 562,154 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Arcos Dorados were worth $592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ARCO. Spire Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Arcos Dorados by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 7,210 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,540 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Arcos Dorados in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arcos Dorados in the fourth quarter worth $90,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Arcos Dorados by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,272 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 1,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arcos Dorados in the 4th quarter worth about $90,000. 55.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arcos Dorados Stock Performance

NYSE:ARCO traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $8.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 374,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,512,702. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $7.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.65. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $6.66 and a 12-month high of $11.35.

Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. Arcos Dorados had a net margin of 3.25% and a return on equity of 29.74%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arcos Dorados Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Arcos Dorados's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Arcos Dorados from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th.

Arcos Dorados Company Profile

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc operates as a franchisee of McDonald's restaurants. It has the exclusive right to own, operate, and grant franchises of McDonald's restaurants in 20 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, the U.S.