McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,135 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 221 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up 1.6% of Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $6,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth $31,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on McDonald’s from $334.00 to $336.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total transaction of $321,457.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,155. The trade was a 10.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,406 shares of company stock valued at $2,150,857. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.0 %

MCD opened at $294.39 on Friday. McDonald’s Co. has a twelve month low of $243.53 and a twelve month high of $317.90. The stock has a market cap of $210.97 billion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50 day moving average is $290.70 and its 200-day moving average is $290.64.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.