Curbstone Financial Management Corp Decreases Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Curbstone Financial Management Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,150 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Curbstone Financial Management Corp’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,537,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 102.0% during the first quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 101 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Kepos Capital LP bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 67.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD opened at $284.84 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $287.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $285.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $207.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.64. McDonald’s Co. has a 52-week low of $230.58 and a 52-week high of $299.35.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The fast-food giant reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.40. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.06% and a negative return on equity of 139.57%. The company had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 18th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be issued a $1.52 dividend. This represents a $6.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 55.93%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 4,487 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.87, for a total value of $1,336,542.69. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,399,292.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 4,487 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.87, for a total value of $1,336,542.69. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,412 shares in the company, valued at $3,399,292.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.52, for a total transaction of $868,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $464,679.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,149 shares of company stock worth $5,257,201. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $346.00 to $383.00 in a report on Friday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of McDonald’s from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald’s from $308.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.17.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises McDonald's restaurants in the United States and internationally. The company's restaurants offer hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and nuggets, fries, salads, shakes, frozen desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, bakery items, soft drinks, coffee, and beverages and other beverages, as well as breakfast menu, including muffins, Sausages, biscuit and bagel sandwiches, oatmeal, hash browns, breakfast burritos and hotcakes.