Royal Fund Management LLC Sells 1,824 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Royal Fund Management LLC decreased its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,125 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,824 shares during the quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 155,740 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $46,179,000 after buying an additional 2,546 shares during the last quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.6% during the third quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $21,191,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 7.9% in the third quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD traded down $2.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $270.32. 2,642,344 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,812,742. The company has a market cap of $194.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s Co. has a one year low of $245.73 and a one year high of $302.39. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $279.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $282.35.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 180.54%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MCD. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.74.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.