Highland Capital Management LLC Has $300,000 Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Highland Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,012 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 6,497 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,926,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,889 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $857,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Gemmer Asset Management LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Gemmer Asset Management LLC now owns 1,029 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 6,000 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Finally, SignalPoint Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. SignalPoint Asset Management LLC now owns 4,636 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Citigroup cut their target price on McDonald’s from $327.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $343.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.60.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $282.02 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $203.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $290.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $280.92. McDonald’s Co. has a 1-year low of $245.73 and a 1-year high of $302.39.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.12. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 171.96% and a net margin of 33.22%. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.59 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.74%.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s 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.