McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its stake in shares of McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 320,213 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 3,072 shares during the quarter. McDonald's accounts for approximately 1.4% of Welch & Forbes LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $94,946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in McDonald's by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald's in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MCD. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $337.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $317.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

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

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded down $1.02 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $269.30. 2,478,555 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,311,579. McDonald's Co. has a 1-year low of $245.73 and a 1-year high of $302.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $194.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.71. The company's 50-day moving average price is $278.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $282.83.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 180.54%. The company's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald's Co. will post 12.18 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.71%.

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.

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