Suncoast Equity Management Sells 220 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Suncoast Equity Management trimmed its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,043 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 220 shares during the period. Suncoast Equity Management’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 123 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Retirement Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1 %

MCD traded up $0.33 on Tuesday, reaching $266.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,021,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,218,388. McDonald’s Co. has a 12-month low of $245.73 and a 12-month high of $302.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $284.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $280.75. The company has a market cap of $192.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.59 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.35 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 57.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on MCD. UBS Group dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $291.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total transaction of $312,533.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.