Lazari Capital Management Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Lazari Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,823 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 48 shares during the quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 110.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 105 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $289.42 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $206.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.54, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.56. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $243.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $310.02 and its 200 day moving average is $302.79.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.67. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.75% and a negative return on equity of 195.27%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $340.00) on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $321.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.52, for a total value of $270,920.28. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,222 shares in the company, valued at $2,949,251.44. This represents a 8.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 2,817 shares of company stock worth $865,843 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.