Portland Global Advisors LLC Sells 759 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Portland Global Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,158 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 759 shares during the quarter. Portland Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,495,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 110.0% during 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 in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of MCD opened at $306.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $219.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $326.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $301.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $298.15.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Tiffanie L. Boyd sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.27, for a total value of $309,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,564 shares in the company, valued at $1,720,778.28. The trade was a 15.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,405 shares of company stock worth $9,886,656 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.