McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 384,758 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 4,923 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned about 0.05% of McDonald's worth $114,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald's by 51.9% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of MCD traded down $2.51 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $273.09. 3,636,458 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,338,426. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald's Co. has a 12-month low of $245.73 and a 12-month high of $302.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $281.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $281.96.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.45 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald's Co. will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. StockNews.com downgraded shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $327.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 12th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $318.41.

McDonald's Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.