Howland Capital Management LLC Sells 377 Shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD)

Howland Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 377 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Baird R W downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.86.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of McDonald’s stock 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 capitalization of $210.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $290.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $290.64.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 62.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

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