Crystal Rock Capital Management Sells 4,200 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Crystal Rock Capital Management reduced its stake in McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,385 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,200 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up about 2.4% of Crystal Rock Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Crystal Rock Capital Management’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 10,702.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,174,426 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $644,739,000 after buying an additional 2,154,297 shares during the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at about $192,165,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in McDonald’s by 174.7% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 947,653 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $249,693,000 after purchasing an additional 602,707 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,997,877 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $789,762,000 after purchasing an additional 429,000 shares during the period. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 39.6% during the third quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,329 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $344,139,000 after purchasing an additional 370,699 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. BTIG Research lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.37.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $274.43. 4,842,629 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,332,144. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $280.92 and a 200 day moving average of $282.33. McDonald’s Co. has a 1 year low of $245.73 and a 1 year high of $302.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Co. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.74%.

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.