Baldwin Investment Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Baldwin Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,615 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 851 shares during the period. Baldwin Investment Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,169,342 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $20,341,391,000 after purchasing an additional 526,466 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,074,438 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,652,768,000 after buying an additional 157,458 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,652,445 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,088,037,000 after buying an additional 531,070 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,725,190,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in McDonald’s by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,867,193 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,570,511,000 after acquiring an additional 895,896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $311.78 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a fifty-two week low of $243.53 and a fifty-two week high of $326.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $309.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $299.99. The firm has a market cap of $222.95 billion, a PE ratio of 27.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.62.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.67. The business had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.73% and a negative return on equity of 181.63%. The company’s revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. Research analysts predict that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $342.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $325.26.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.00, for a total value of $286,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,978 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,263,290. This trade represents a 6.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total transaction of $3,255,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. The trade was a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 28,136 shares of company stock worth $8,676,247. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.