McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Stake Lessened by Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC

Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC reduced its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 72,328 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 348 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up about 1.5% of Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $20,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Proquility Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,472 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, GDS Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 2,504 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MCD shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup upped their target price on McDonald’s from $334.00 to $336.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total transaction of $84,225.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This trade represents a 3.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,499 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,905 shares of company stock worth $2,592,327. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $291.48 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $317.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $291.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $288.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The fast-food giant reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.05. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%. The firm 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 firm earned $3.19 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Company 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.