Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC Sells 169 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC cut its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 8.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,734 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 169 shares during the period. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $522,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 141,160.9% during the fourth quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 5,613,710 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,664,521,000 after buying an additional 5,609,736 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in McDonald’s by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,471,007 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,542,550,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193,769 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter valued at $348,206,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in McDonald’s by 39.7% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,565,398 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,005,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,347,048 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,178,474,000 after purchasing an additional 987,099 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.3 %

MCD stock opened at $301.90 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $306.96. The business’s fifty day moving average is $287.46 and its 200-day moving average is $271.84. The company has a market cap of $217.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.73.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The fast-food giant reported $2.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.07 by ($0.10). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 178.68% and a net margin of 32.25%. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.17 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 11.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCD. Truist Financial decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $310.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $285,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,681 shares in the company, valued at $3,557,060. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $285,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,557,060. This represents a 0.00 % 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 Marion K. Gross sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.36, for a total value of $428,967.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,721.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 31,751 shares of company stock worth $9,493,973. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.