McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by State of Wisconsin Investment Board

State of Wisconsin Investment Board cut its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 369,760 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 6,304 shares during the quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $113,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in McDonald’s by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 206,191 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $63,018,000 after acquiring an additional 21,521 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS lifted its position in McDonald’s by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 301,098 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $92,032,000 after acquiring an additional 28,620 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its position in McDonald’s by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 29,000 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $8,933,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $11,514,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 249.4% in the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 68,737 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,008,000 after acquiring an additional 49,066 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $305.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $336.26.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 11,307 shares of company stock valued at $3,262,622 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is bringing back its fried apple pie after more than three decades, a nostalgic limited-time item that could lift traffic and sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is also testing new beverage options, including custom sodas, refreshers and Red Bull drinks, which could expand check size and broaden its drink lineup beyond Coca-Cola. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains broadly upbeat, with Wall Street’s average recommendation for MCD still leaning toward Buy, helping reinforce a constructive view on the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles highlighted McDonald’s marketing momentum and consumer interest around classic menu items and iconic locations, which are supportive but not material enough on their own to move fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports raised questions about changes to drive-thru operations and the possible end of certain deals or promotions, which could disappoint some customers if they affect convenience or value perception.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $287.99 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $288.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $306.42. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $271.85 and a one year high of $341.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The business had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.34%.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.