Peoples Financial Services CORP. Has $5.14 Million Stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Peoples Financial Services CORP. lessened its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,746 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 53 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for 2.4% of Peoples Financial Services CORP.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Peoples Financial Services CORP.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,916,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,833,510,000 after acquiring an additional 220,365 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,082,894 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,592,892,000 after purchasing an additional 128,800 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in McDonald’s by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,149,080 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,567,030,000 after purchasing an additional 188,888 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,564,359 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,694,403,000 after purchasing an additional 49,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in McDonald’s by 8.0% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,761,625 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,216,677,000 after buying an additional 354,196 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:MCD opened at $281.40 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $293.43 and its 200 day moving average is $286.83. McDonald’s Co. has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $317.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.66 billion, a PE ratio of 24.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Loop Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, January 3rd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $321.39.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total value of $321,457.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,155. This trade represents a 10.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.51, for a total value of $441,470.49. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $459,435.60. The trade was a 49.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,704 shares of company stock worth $2,829,428 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.